Forward to Forever
by HanaYuuki Tensha
Summary: While trying to figure out how to make it so that InuYasha and Kagome can marry, the gang meets Yuuki, the sister whom InuYasha has never met. Meanwhile, one of the village girls, Sakura, seems to be exhibiting special abilities...
1. InuYasha & the LookAlike

InuYasha and the characters from the series are credited to Rumiko Takahashi. Yuuki and Sakura, however, are my own inventions. Please read and review—thanks! This is kind of a continuation from where my fanfic "Tell Me, Show Me" left off.

As the sun was readying to bid the world goodnight, a young woman made her way to the outskirts of what was now affectionately deemed "InuYasha's Village." Ever since he and his friends had defeated Naraku, InuYasha had been granted high standing there. He was even entrusted with the position of Village Ally, allowing him to not only protect the village, but to fight enemies in others. How he ended up with that tag-along scoundrel Miroku as his coworker, however, was a mystery to the villagers.

The girl walked towards two graves that faced the hills to the East and knelt between them.

"Hello, Mama, Papa. How have you been?" She asked the two tombstones.

"I know I haven't visited you lately. Things have started to get real busy since Lady Kagome has come back. Everyone's ecstatic because of her return, especially InuYasha. You wouldn't believe how things have changed around here—how things have changed with me…"

**~Flashback~**

A couple of weeks after Kagome returned, she, InuYasha, Miroku, Shippo, and Kohaku (who wanted demon extermination practice) were settling down for the night on their way back to the village from fighting off yet another demon. Even though Miroku had changed since marrying Sango, InuYasha was leery of allowing the monk anywhere near Kagome. It didn't help that she was the only woman in the group, since that Sango was back in the village raising three kids. With his worries keeping him on guard, he planned to sit with his back against a tree while Kagome slept next to him. He knew they'd sleep just fine like that, but if anyone tried to come after her, he would stop them in their tracks.

A strange scent alerted him to an invader closing in. In a flash, he stood up and unsheathed Tetsusaiga. The others saw this and prepared to go into battle. "Get ready—there's a half-demon coming this way," he stated firmly.

When the newcomer arrived, the group was surprised. She was indeed a half-demon, but she was the same kind as InuYasha! In fact, she was so like him, that there seemed to be some sort of family resemblance involved! The face was different, and her body was smaller. But her clothes, though similar to Sango's old battle clothes, were red. "InuYasha Ani-ue!" She exclaimed with joy.


	2. Yuuki's Urgent Request

"WHAT?" The group exclaimed in unison. Before she could give him a hug, InuYasha swiftly moved out of her way, sending her crashing to the ground like he did whenever Kagome said "Sit, boy!"

"I hate to break it to you, kid," he declared, "but I only have one sibling, who just so happens to hate my guts—and believe me, the feeling's mutual."

The younger half-demon shook her head. "Your mean you forgot about me? Mother sent us both to stay with one of the village elders—the only one who would take us in—before she was killed! But you ran away, and—"

"Wait a minute!" He stepped forward and took a good look at her face. She did seem familiar, but he wasn't quite able to remember how. "Were you raised by Old Man Kotori?"

"His name is _Lord_ Kotori, if you don't mind!" The girl replied with a huff.

"Okay, okay, relax, will you? You seem to know me, but I have no idea who you are!"

"Do you remember a baby being in the same house as Kotori, though?"

InuYasha furrowed his brow. "Yeah, I remember something like that…" Now the wheels in his head started turning. He thought back to before his mother died. Izayoi had handed Old Man Kotori a small bundle, while he practically glued himself to her hip. She told him to take care of them both, then instructed InuYasha to take special care of his baby sister Yuuki while she was away. Little did anyone know that she would not return to the village alive. After her death, he left Kotori's house in the middle of the night, leaving Yuuki behind, promising her she was going to be safe with the old man.

But that had been so long ago, and he was still just a little kid. "Yuuki?" He asked, making sure she was who he thought.

She clapped her hands. "So you _do_ remember me!"

"Not really, it's still a bit foggy in my memory," he confessed. "Yuuki, these are my friends; Miroku, Shippo, and Kohaku." Then his voice took on a gentler tone as he turned to his beloved. "And this is Kagome."

Kagome smiled at the younger half-demon. "It's great to meet you, Yuuki."

An instant friendship formed between them. "I'm glad to finally be introduced to you as well, Kagome—I have heard very good things about you and these others wherever I go."

"Thanks," Kagome said, looking a little embarrassed at the compliment she had just been given.

InuYasha cleared his throat before continuing. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping you could help us—there have been several demon atta—"

"Back _there_? Where I was treated as less than _trash?_ NOT A CHANCE, KID!" He declared.

"But, Big Brother! They don't even remember you!"

"Pfeh! So what? I'm not going back. And don't call me 'Big Brother', got it?"

"_InuYasha!_" Kagome interrupted. He jumped about three feet in the air, thinking she was going to give him The Command. She rarely (if ever) used the Subjugation Beads anymore, but when she gave him that particular tone… "Let's at least hear her out, okay?"

He gave a sigh of relief before conceding. "Okay, kid—what did you say about a demon attack?"

As Yuuki told InuYasha and Kagome about the terrors her village had been enduring, and how she was afraid to fight the demons alone, Shippo turned to Miroku and Kohaku and whispered, "Wow—didn't see that one coming! Kagome's either lost it or there's something else going on."

Miroku agreed. "Perhaps they're going back to Kagome's time to do something she once called eloping."

"What's 'eloping'?" Kohaku asked.

"It's basically getting married really fast before anything happens to stop it," Miroku replied.

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure I've overheard InuYasha and Kagome talk about getting married sometime soo—" _WHAM!_ Something popped Shippo on the head. The three of them looked up to see InuYasha standing over him, one of his fists balled up.

"If you don't mind, there's no way we're eloping," the half-demon stated, curtly. "Besides, from what Kaede says, there are a few problems that are preventing that from happening, and Kagome and I are trying to figure out how to fix them first."

Yuuki suddenly slapped her cheek, causing a little voice to say, "Such is the life of a flea…" Upon the palm of her hand alighted Myoga, who had been drinking her blood.

"What do you think you're doing, moron!" Yuuki shouted at him.

"Oh, good evening to you, Mistress Yuuki," the flea said. "And to you, Master InuYasha."

"Aw, shove it, Myoga—why did you bother to come back here?" InuYasha demanded. It was getting late, and the moon, whose wax/wane cycle was at the halfway point, had risen over the horizon about an hour ago.

"I think it would be best if you all go with her—the demons are seeking your mother's grave, and it is only a matter of time before they find it."


	3. Two Villages in Trouble!

"_I think it would be best if you all go with her—the demons are seeking your mother's grave, and it is only a matter of time before they find it."_

InuYasha froze. Demons, seeking his mother's grave? He clenched his fists, anger pulsing through his veins. He looked at Myoga, his eyes blazing. "Why are they looking for it?" He demanded.

"I overheard them say something about a treasure that once belonged to her. It was supposedly a gift from your father, but no one knows its exact identity. She apparently had asked that it be buried with her, in case of an untimely demise," Myoga responded, feeling a bit nervous at his master's tone. "I honestly hadn't heard anything about it before, so it caught me by surprise."

Yuuki crossed her arms and looked at him skeptically. "In other words, you didn't want to be caught eavesdropping, so you used me to hitch a ride out of there." Everyone else nodded in agreement with her.

"Yep, that's typical Myoga for you," Shippo stated, shaking his head.

The flea was furious. "Whadya mean by that, you little whippersnapper? I deserve credit for making it all the way here!"

Ignoring the miniscule minion's rants, InuYasha looked at everyone with one hard stare. "Let's go. If those demons so much as touch Mother's grave, they'll be digging their own graves!"

Miroku shook his head. "I'm sorry, InuYasha, but I promised Sango I'd be back as soon as I could after dealing with that last demon."

He received a snort in reply. "Fine. Does anyone else need to leave?" With no other takers to the offer, the remainder of the group, including Yuuki, made their way to the village of InuYasha's birth early the next morning.

Meanwhile, Sango was having visit with a girl from a few huts away. In the cool of Sango and Miroku's house, they were watching the children take their naps. "It seems like the kids look up to you, Sakura—and I, for one, really appreciate the help."

"Thank you, Sango—they're adorable," the girl replied. "I sure wish I had their energy."

"Well, when you take care of three small children, they do tend to give you energy before draining it right out," Sango laughed. "At any rate, it's good to have help. With Miroku away most of the time, I need all the help I can get."

Sakura tilted her head. "I don't get it—why is he away so much? I mean, I know there are demons in other villages, but surely InuYasha could take care of them easily."

The elder of the two looked at her sleeping children. "Sometimes demons will hide in a way that could be dangerous to other people involved. Miroku basically draws those out so InuYasha can deal with them without harming anyone."

"But don't you miss being in the heat of battle? Don't you miss your husband?"

Sango nodded. "Sometimes I wish he wasn't away so often, but at the same time, I'm glad. It may be difficult to be away from each other, but knowing that he'll come back, that he's taking care of his family—well, that releases some of the tension that builds up." She smiled. "And I wouldn't trade him for anything."

"Same here, Sango," a voice from the doorway responded. Miroku stood at the entryway, watching his family. He moved over to her, and pulled her into an embrace.

"How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to hear you give up the world for me," her husband joked. But his face was serious.

Sakura got up. "Would you like it if I were to watch the twins tomorrow, Sango?"

The demon slayer looked at Miroku, who gave a nod, and smiled at her. "I'd be glad for that. I'll see you in the morning."

After Sakura left, she made her way through the fields to the clearing on the other side, where the village's archery range had been set up. Kaede was instructing other girls on how to aim, but took enough time to give Sakura a look that said, "Ye are late again." Sakura sighed as she got ready for target practice.

_I know I'm late a lot,_ she thought to herself. _But it isn't as if I'm better than anyone else. Besides, Sango really does need help with the kids, and her friends are away fighting most of the time._ She shook her head and got her bow and an arrow ready.

"Sakura, where have ye been, child?" Kaede asked.

She took aim and let the arrow fly. It landed one ring outside the bull's eye.

"I asked Sango if I could help her out with the kids for a bit," she said meekly. "I must have lost track of time."

"T'is well that ye think of others, yet ye fall behind in your work. It concerns me that ye have not been as diligent as ye should."

"I know—I am trying as best as possible, Kaede-sama," the younger woman answered, a little bit hurt. Suddenly, she felt a strange, evil presence on the archery range.

Kaede noticed when she tensed up. "What is wrong, child?"

"It's so strange—it feels like there's another presence here other than those who are here practicing."

The old miko raised an eyebrow at this. "Perhaps it is merely your imagination. Try not to let your nerves get the best of ye, all right?"

Sakura shook herself from the discomfort and prepared to aim the arrow again. She let the arrow fly—and it stopped in midair, as if it had struck something!

A scream was released before the victim revealed itself. It was a vulture demon! The arrow had penetrated it, and within seconds, the demon shattered as if it were glass. The girls and Kaede saw everything transpire and were shocked.

Villagers from the field started running to the archery range to find out what happened, turning the stunned silence into chaos.

_I felt it nearby, but I never saw it! _Sakura realized._ And this has been happening to me a lot lately—what is going on here?_


	4. A Deadly Ultimatum

Further away, five figures approached their destination. As they neared the village, InuYasha and the others saw a huge serpent demon running after a little girl. "Where is the grave?" it demanded. "I must have the treasure! Master requires it!"

"_**WIND SCAR!"**_

The power of the attack ripped the serpent apart, drawing the attention of the tyke to her rescuer. "Wow—how did you do that?" she inquired.

Before InuYasha could reply, a woman ran up to her and gave her a big hug. "Sweetheart, are you alright?"

"Mommy! That guy right there—he saved me!" she said with excitement, pointing to the dog-eared man.

The woman turned to face him. "Thank you so much, sir. If you hadn't come when you did, she'd be—" then she stopped talking and looked at him. Shock took over her features. "You! You're Izayoi's son!"

He looked at Yuuki with a frown. "So, they don't remember me, huh?" was his sarcastic remark.

Yuuki held her hands up in surrender. "Only Lord Kotori ever talked to me about you, so I thought—"

"You should have told me that before we came here, Yuuki—it would have helped me out a lot to know that—"

"Why did you run away?" the woman asked urgently. "Lord Kotori was worried sick about you!"

InuYasha turned to look at her. "What do you mean, why did I run away? You guys treated me like dirt, and I can only assume you treated Yuuki the same way!" He stared at her with a bit of resentment. Then he ran his hand through his hair. "Listen, I'm only here because my friends and I heard demons were trying to find something my mother left behind. Do you know anything of it?"

She nodded, frightened that he might try to get even with the village. "I don't know what it is, but the demons are attacking our children to try and get it. You may want to get—"

She was cut off by a loud hiss from behind her, as another demon raised itself over her head. The woman clung to her daughter and let out a scream of horror, as it shot down towards them. Yuuki ran and grabbed them both, helping them dodge the predator.

"Who dares to interfere!" The demon raged at them.

"Take your kid and get out of here," InuYasha ordered. The two ran off into the distance, away from the huts that were infested with demonic activity. He then turned to his opponent, readying Tetsusaiga for battle. "I don't know what you're looking for, but I plan to end your search right now!"

His opponent stared him down for a few seconds, before a maniacal laugh escaped its' mouth. "So! _You_ are the famous InuYasha? If that's the case, I believe I will have some fun in destroying you—by crushing your friends first!"

Its' face descended towards Shippo first. The kitsune successfully dodged its' attack, but barely. Kohaku's scythe rushed at it, turning the beast's attention to him. An arrow went flying from Kagome's bow, but merely glanced off its' scales. In anger, it turned and rushed at Kagome. Yuuki lunged at her, knocking her away from the winding body—and got wrapped up in it herself! And the coil began growing tighter…and tighter…and tighter.

InuYasha heard Yuuki's cry. He knew what he needed to do—it would mean that the enemy desecrated his mother's grave. But it was a life-or-death choice.

"I'll tell you where to look," he hollered at the demon. "Just let my sister go!"

The creature threw Yuuki's limp form to the ground in disgust.

"The grave is in the southern area of the village—it's the only one that doesn't have a tombstone on it!"

It glared at him, trying to determine whether or not he was telling the truth. "If you lie, then this whole village will be destroyed—and I will strike you dead where you stand," it spat, heading towards the area InuYasha had said.

The group gathered around Yuuki, who grabbed her sides in an attempt to breathe normally again. "I owe you one, InuYasha," she gasped.

"Yuuki, I'm sorry, but I had to tell them where it was."

Yuuki shook her head. "Don't be—you sent it in the wrong direction."

"What? What do you mean by that? I had no choice—"

"The grave you sent it to is empty," she replied. Her breathing was evening out, which was a relief. "I can show you where Mother's actual grave is—that direction." She pointed to the west. "It isn't too far away."

Kohaku spoke up. "I'll go after them and buy you some time. You guys go find what they're looking for." He raced in the direction of the enemy.

"I'm coming, too," Shippo announced, following Kohaku's lead.

The remaining three made their way to a nearby clearing.


	5. Mother's Grave, Father's Gift

Tsuyoi=Strong

Yasashi=Gentle

Back at Kaede's hut, the elderly miko gave Sakura a small cup of tea to calm her nerves. Still unsure of what really happened, all Sakura could do was take the cup from her host and stare at it.

_What is going on? Why didn't I see it before I—_

"Child, are ye alright?" Kaede asked after about a minute.

Sakura looked up at her. "Huh? Oh, yes, I'm alright."

"Ye seem to be distracted," the elder woman stated. "And after what happened on the archery range, I would not be surprised. That I hadn't caught on to its' presence is one thing, but that you did? I must not be as alert as usual."

The younger of the two shook her head. "You were busy training everyone—don't worry about it."

Kaede sighed. "Ye insist that it was a mere fluke, yet I do not believe that it was luck." She looked at Sakura. "Whatever made you think like that?"

"I-I don't know."

The mat covering for the entry moved, and Rin came in. "Lady Kaede, Lord Sesshomaru is here!" she exclaimed with a tone of child-like wonder.

Sakura tensed up as she sensed the demon's presence outside, catching Kaede's attention.

"Thank ye, Rin,"the miko replied, attempting to stand. Sakura helped her up, and the three of them exited the hut to greet InuYasha's half-brother.

Sakura had seen Sesshomaru several times before, but they had never spoken, and he didn't even so much as look her way. He seemed to be disgusted with her, and spent a lot of time exploiting that. She, on the other hand, was hospitable towards him, even if it was just for the sake of politeness.

Even though those shivers he unknowingly sent through her spine were never going to be reciprocated. It was a good thing she hadn't spoken with him before—she either wouldn't know what to say or her words would come out the wrong way.

_I don't know why I feel this way—he doesn't like a lot of humans, except for Rin,_ she thought as the trio met their guest.

In the meantime, Kagome, InuYasha, and an injured Yuuki finally made it through the thick woods to a clearing.

Yuuki was still having trouble breathing because of the serpent's coil. "I forgot-*huff*-how hard it was to-*huff*-to get through there."

"Not to mention you got stuck a few times along the way," Kagome said. "It was a good thing my backpack was left here when I returned to my era." They had stopped on the way to the clearing long enough for Kagome to reach into her backpack and grab the pair of scissors she had brought with her during the days leading up to Naraku's defeat. InuYasha's hair was fine, but Yuuki's had become such a mess and so tangled that the only solution available was to cut it. Now the hair that was once a little bit longer than her brother's was fashioned into a bob, and frankly, it looked just right for her, even with her puppy ears.

Silently, the three of them walked to Izayoi's grave.

InuYasha walked up to its' simple, yet beautiful tombstone and silently let tears roll down his face. Someone had taken good care of the grave, and he could only think that Yuuki had to have done it. And right now, he didn't care that there were other people around—he was going to allow himself to shed long denied tears. Yuuki stood beside him, tears on her own face, as Kagome laid a hand on the rose in the middle of the stone. She didn't know why—she felt like she needed to.

"So, here she lies." Myoga had followed behind, so as to avoid the battle. Yet even he had reverence when near Izayoi's grave.

"Mother?" the older hanyou started. "It's me—InuYasha. I know it's been ages since I was last here, and I know I broke my promise to you about taking care of Yuuki. I-" his voice took on a hitch before he continued. "I'm sorry, Mother—I really am. But I—I will do better from now on. I—I miss you."

Yuuki wiped her eyes, before she spoke. "Mother, it's Yuuki. I honestly don't remember you, and I wish we had had more time together before we parted. But I still miss you. InuYasha and his friends are very kind to me, and Kagome even helped me out when I was hurt. She's great, Mother—you would have loved to meet her." She didn't know what else she could have said, so she just hugged her older brother. He stood there in surprise for a second, then returned the embrace. They both watched the third person in their group approach the grave reverently.

Finally, Kagome said, "Hi, I'm Kagome—I'm a friend of InuYasha and Yuuki. You'd be proud of InuYasha—he's become a man, but he's still the man I fell in love with so long ago." Here she looked at him with loving eyes. "And I wouldn't have him any other way. And Yuuki?" She continued, turning to face her newfound friend. "She's as loyal as a person could be, and she hardly knows either me or her brother. I promise I will do my best to honor your memory by taking care of them both."

They were all holding hands now, when a sudden light began emitting from the stone's rose. There now appeared two stone doors, slowly opening to unveil the treasure within. There were two swords smaller than InuYasha's, along with a harness to hold them in. One of them had a red star on its' handle; the other, a white rose. But both of the handles were wrapped in blue leather.

"The twin swords of Tsuyoi and Yasashi," Myoga exclaimed. "They are smaller variants of the Tetsusaiga and the Tenseiga. Tsuyoi, the star, cuts down enemies that bar its' way; Yasashi, the rose, heals and restores those it touches. I have only heard of their existence, but it has always been spoken of as a myth." While Myoga was yammering, Yuuki reached for them, as if drawn to them. This movement shook Myoga out of his impromptu lecture. "Wha-wha-what are you doing, Mistress Yuuki! You don't know how they will react to—" The swords and harness were easily removed by their mistress's hands. "—You?"

Yuuki looked at the swords as tears started to form. "These were not gifts for Mother alone—Father was leaving them for me, too," she stated in a near whisper. "Mother—Father—I love you." She carefully held the blades closer, feeling some comfort that she had not been forgotten by her birth parents. Suddenly, the pain from the attack was gone—the Yasashi had healed her, sealing its' approval of its' new owner, while the Tsuyoi seemed to resound in agreement, urging Yuuki into action.

Then, there came a great crash from the village. The beast was returning to their area of arrival.

Myoga looked around, and tried to look busy. "Well, look at the time, would you? I thought I smelled a wild boar nearby, and I, for one, am famished! Now, if you will excuse me…" With that, he zoomed into the woods.

InuYasha, Kagome, and Yuuki were all annoyed, but they looked at each other with readiness—they didn't need to tell each other what to do. They rushed towards the battle site.


	6. Mamushi The Snake Woman

I'm sorry guys—I know I said I'd stick with two, but some new characters just came to my mind, and I'd like to try them out. It may happen again, but please read and review anyways—I'd really appreciate it.

Mamushi=Viper

Iwao=Rock

The serpent was rushing towards Shippo, but was knocked off course by Kohaku's scythe. He threw it once more, pushing it further back, but not by much.

"**Fox Fire!"**

The flame covered the demon, but it wasn't even phased by Shippo's attack. Now driven into further rage, it shot back towards it's' target, while more of its' kind moved in to assist.

"Oh, no—that's it, I'm a goner," Shippo whimpered.

Kohaku shot the scythe back at the beast, only to have it dodge it and come after him. As brave as he was, his face paled.

"**Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!"**

The demon was ripped in half, thanks to InuYasha's attack, but more were on their way to the fight, as well. Seeing their fallen comrade, the other serpent demons started to close in on them. Yuuki and Kagome were nearly at the battlefield, when they saw what they were facing. The guys were fighting for their lives, and if they didn't act now, that would be the cost.

Kagome released an arrow, providing enough distraction from them for Yuuki to steel herself and burst out of the woods. She made an arching sweep with one claw. **"Starlight's Bane!"** Two of the enemy forces were shred like paper, while one other was severely wounded, making it easy for Kohaku to finish it off.

"Thanks, Yuuki," Kohaku breathed out.

The hanyou girl merely nodded, her eyes still eyeing a demon closing in. "No big deal—let's just keep going, 'kay?"

"Right."

The next serpent went straight for InuYasha and Shippo. But as fast as they were, the two of them were caught in one of its' coils. Were it not for Kagome's arrow hitting it in the eye, they would have been through the same torture Yuuki had been earlier. They were released from its' grip, but not before an aerial view of the battle scene. Another serpent, more massive than the others they were fighting, was approaching. It seemed to be gliding lazily towards them, with no signs of planning to attack.

If that wasn't enough, floating above its' head was a woman, who seemed to look down at them with snake-like eyes—and her face held a strong resemblance to Naraku. She was in a sleeveless summer kimono that only came down to her knees, and her necklace was a golden cobra with two jeweled eyes, one of them black, the other orange. The remaining demons around them encircled their group to prevent escape, but did not attack them. They turned their attention towards the newcomer.

"Pathetic fools, really," she chided them, a chill permeating her voice, "to think you could get away with murdering my brother."

"So the 'master' is a woman!" InuYasha sneered. "Who are you!"

"Not that any of _you_ would care, considering what you did a few years ago," she countered. "I don't believe I will give you my name. None of my successful slaughters in the past have heard it—so I shall not give you the satisfaction, either." She looked Yuuki dead in the eye; Yuuki was frozen in fear and disbelief. "Although your precious little sister here would no doubt be willing to enlighten you on such a matter. Am I right, young hanyouess?"

"Ma-Ma-Mamushi!" The girl in question stared at the interloper with shock, grief, and anger. _I'll never forget this filthy wretch. First she took Lord Kotori's life, then she went after… she hurt…_ She couldn't bear to finish her thought without breaking down in tears. She fought valiantly against the temptation to weep again.

Mamushi snickered. "Aw, poor girl—still hung up over, what was his name? Iwao?" At this, Yuuki gritted her teeth, barely in control of her anger. "You know, for someone with such a strong name, he was a little too easy to break." She was pushing Yuuki's buttons, seeing how far she could get before the hanyouess cracked completely.

"Shut it, worm!" Yuuki snapped.

"Now, now—no need to be troublesome. I just want the treasure your father left behind." The serpent demon looked pointedly at InuYasha. "It's sad that you directed my forces in the wrong direction, for now this entire village will face my wrath. Pity, isn't it?"

While Mamushi had her attention elsewhere, Yuuki reached behind her and took Tsuyoi from the harness. She lunged at the nearest enemy, slicing it in half. "Sorry, but I don't think Tsuyoi is all that impressed. And frankly, neither am I!"

Mamushi glared at Yuuki in rage. "You dare attack my servants!"

"Then let me take you down, and we'll call it even!" the younger woman spat.


	7. Return of the Miasma

Sorry for the delay—I kind of needed a break, but I didn't forget you, guys.

Mamushi glared at her younger opponent's reaction. Her eyes were filled with bloodlust. "Why delay the inevitable? I never needed the swords you possess to resurrect Naraku. The true treasure, however—well, let's just say daddy's little girl will be joining her father soon enough."

Realization hit the group hard. _This was a set up the entire time—she's planning to kill Yuuki to bring him back from the dead!_ InuYasha gripped Tetsusaiga. "Too bad we're taking you down first!"

"We shall see about that, half-breed," she smirked, knowing she had twisted the proverbial knife in the hanyou siblings' hearts. "In the meantime, I do believe I'll enjoy the show." A dark cloud slowly surrounded her, as the serpent below raced down towards them.

They barely evaded the attack before looking at each other and nodding in silent agreement. "InuYasha and I will go after Mamushi. We need you guys to take care of the snakes, okay?" Yuuki commanded the others. Looking back to where the cloud was, they launched towards it. They were just closing in, when it started to become difficult to breathe.

"Miasma!" InuYasha exclaimed, covering his face. "Get away from it!" He started to grab for Yuuki, just as she swiped Tsuyoi horizontally.

"**Silent Rage!"**

A gust of wind from the sword blasted through the cloud, dissipating it, leaving nothing but clean air in its' wake. The two landed on the ground and rushed back to meet the others on the battlefield, just as the largest enemy, the one that had been under Mamushi, started closing its' coils around Kagome. InuYasha went after it, desperate to get his beloved away from there.

"**Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!"**

Seeing their mistress gone and their leading minion dead, the remaining serpents slithered away from both the group and the village as fast as possible. Yuuki was the only one among them that looked overjoyed at their victory.

"She's gone—did I get her?" The younger hanyou looked at InuYasha eagerly. One look at her brother's face told her all she needed to know, and it wasn't good.

"She was using the miasma as a distraction, just like her supposed quest for your swords. They're most likely going back to Mamushi to regroup." Seeing his sister's face fall upon hearing that, he winced. "We'll need to be even more careful than ever, especially knowing now that she was related to Naraku," he finished, a slight chill going down his spine.

The name of their old archenemy still left him angry. Near the end of their final battle with him, Naraku tried to get him to harm Kagome. Yet even while he had been forced into his demonic state, InuYasha still tried to protect her by pushing her away. He feared for her safety, and therefore had never before admitted he loved her. He finally confessed outright to her last week, but the pain of being used against Kagome still remained. Mamushi's appearing had opened the wound once more.

Kagome sensed his tension and gently maneuvered her hand to rest on his arm. "Yeah, but we _will_ get her in the end." The others gave them determined smiles, showing their agreement. Seeing this, InuYasha looked at Kagome, gratitude radiating from his eyes. He placed his hand on top of hers and gently squeezed it, as a silent "thank you." Just then, a sound of marching feet coming from the village made the group turn to face the newest intruder.


	8. A Premonition & A Lullaby

Taka= Hawk; Dutiful, Obedient

Harumi= Springtime Beauty

"What is the meaning of this!" demanded the man nearing them. He failed to see the woman, who had run off with the little girl earlier, making her way towards them.

Yuuki stepped forward to speak. "Is something wrong, sir? The village is safe now—the snakes have been dispersed."

"I was talking to the humans, not you," he snarled back, turning to face Kagome and Kohaku. "Such people as you should not associate with these vermin. Yet here you stand, openly mingling and showing affection to demons!" It wasn't a lot, but InuYasha heard had enough. He automatically moved in front of everyone. Seeing this, the villager turned his anger towards the hanyou. "Out of my way!"

"No—this entire group is under my protection, and my sister came to me from _your_ village to seek help," InuYasha replied. "I came for her sake, as well as to honor our mother's memory. So if you have a problem with any of us, you'll have to get past me first."

"And may I remind you that I, a full demon, was born of two half-demons, headman?" The woman informed the ingrate.

The man backed away in false humility. "Forgive me, Taka—I spoke out of turn." With one quick look of disgust, he returned to the village.

"The headman still has much to learn," Taka stated, smiling warmly at her guests.

"Wait, did he just call you 'Taka'?" InuYasha asked in surprise.

The woman laughed. "Yes, InuYasha—it's me. I thought you might not recognize me, considering your age when you left. And yes, my parents were half-demons, but for some reason, I am a full demon. However, I lack combat ability, so I cannot thank you enough for saving Harumi."

Just then, Harumi ran up to the older of the hanyou siblings and hugged one of his legs as tight as she could. "Thank you, Inu-sama."

_Inu—sama?_ He was amazed that such a small child could trust him so much and hold him spellbound. He knelt down to look Harumi in the eye with a genuine smile. "I'm glad I could help you, kid-o." He looked over at his companions. "You should thank the others too, though—they helped me save you."

Without a second thought, the little girl ran up to each one of them, giving them a hug and a thank-you, as well. Shippo was the last, and it resulted in an impromptu game of tag. Taka laughed at the sight in pure mirth. "I'm happy to see Harumi making friends. It has been awhile since she has had one." There was a brief flash of sadness in her eyes before she turned to them. "At any rate, the sun will be setting shortly. If it is alright with you all, please feel free to stay with us for as long as you need."

=IY=

Sango, meanwhile, had started to become a little uneasy. She could sense that something was wrong with her friends and brother, who were still away fighting demons in InuYasha's former village. Or was it that something was about to happen? She wasn't sure. A day and a half had now passed since Sakura had shot the vulture demon, and the poor girl was still having issues processing that event. The three children were all settled down for a nap, so she made her way to the hut entrance, Kirara following behind closely. The little fire-cat mewed softly, letting her mistress know of her concern.

"I'm worried about them, Kirara. It's almost as if Naraku's come back." She knelt by the tiny animal. "Do you think you can find out what's going on for me? I know you're concerned for Kohaku as much as I am. What do you say?"

The answer was in Kirara's transformation from a small pet to a massive cat. She kissed her mistress cat-style, and took off in the direction of Kohaku's scent, which was still easy for her to track.

Sango giggled as she glided away. "I thought you might say that. Be safe, Kirara."

"So, you felt it as well, my love?" Miroku came up behind her and embraced her.

She nodded against her husband's shoulder. "I don't know why, maybe it's a premonition of some sort." She couldn't help but remember Sakura's question about missing the battlefield. "I wish I could do something to help them, but I don't know what I'd be helping them with."

"I know—me too. So how did things go with Sakura today?" The former monk asked, trying to change the subject. Sango wasn't fooled, but she let it slide.

"She's still a bit shaken up about shooting the demon, but Kaede assures her she'll be okay. The girls played with her until they were exhausted, so they'll be napping for a while…"

=IY=

Kirara landed on the outskirts of her destination a few hours later, reverting back to her miniature form. It was past sunset, so the others had certainly found a place to rest for the night. Sniffing out the area, she made her way to a hut near the edge of the village. The flap over the door moved, and a girl with short silver hair and dog ears stepped outside. Seeing Kirara, she knelt down.

"Well, hello! Aren't you a cute little thing?" she said. "Are you lost? Let me see if Taka will take you in!" The stranger picked her up and headed back towards the entrance.

The little demon didn't know who this was, but she seemed kind enough. Besides, she was moving in the direction of her friends' scents. She mewed softly in contentment, and cuddled closer to her new friend.

"Hey, guys, look what I found outside," the girl announced.

"Kirara!" a few voices exclaimed.

Hearing her name, Kirara looked around to see InuYasha and company, along with an elegant woman. She could smell that Taka was a demon, but there was nothing vile about her. There was also a little girl, who smelled like a half-demon, who was nodding off in Kagome's arms. She bounded out of her acquaintance's arms to meet with the group.

"You know this cat?" the girl asked.

Kohaku nodded. "Yeah, she's Sango's cat, but she's also our ally in battle. It's kind of strange that she came here by herself, though. Kirara, is something wrong with Sango?"

A gentle mew let him know that her mistress was okay.

"If nothing's wrong with Sango, then why did Kirara come all the way here by herself?" Shippo asked.

InuYasha just shrugged. "Maybe she was just lonely?"

"I highly doubt it," Kohaku stated. "She wouldn't just leave Sango unless something was off. Something tells me Sango sensed trouble and sent her our way."

Kagome looked at the girl-hanyou with concern. "Yuuki, do you think Mamushi decided to come back for another go?"

"No, I remember her scent, Kagome—she's the one who hurt Iwao. I can't smell her right now, so the village should be safe for the time being."

"Pfeh." InuYasha looked at Yuuki. "We had several close calls today because of that snake-woman, and you call it safe?"

"I said 'for the time being'. Don't be so difficult," she replied, leaning against the wall, still standing.

Kirara walked over to Taka and nuzzled against her leg. The hawk-demoness looked down at her and smiled, bending down and setting a bowl of stew in front of her. She gently patted the cat on her head, who had contentedly started eating.

"Well, it looks like you guys exhausted my little Harumi," she chuckled, watching her daughter sleeping in Kagome's arms.

Kagome stood, holding the child. "Would you allow me to put her to bed?"

The woman nodded. "Of course, Lady Kagome. But be careful—she's not a very heavy sleeper."

With a nod, Kagome made her way to a small room in the back of the hut. A few seconds later, they heard a lullaby floating from the room.

"Pfeh—Kagome never sings to _me_ like that," InuYasha mused humorously. He wondered yet again what it would be like to have Kagome as his wife, to have her with him raising their children…well, pups, since he had dog-demon blood in him. He closed his eyes as he became captivated by her soothing voice. A couple of minutes passed before she returned to the main room.

Shippo bounded up to her. "Wow, I didn't know you could sing, Kagome."

"Me neither," the hanyou-man agreed appreciatively. He looked at Kagome, his eyes finishing for him; _And I loved it, my Kagome._

Kagome blushed. "I-it's nothing, really."

"No, it isn't 'nothing', Lady Kagome." Taka shook her head. "No one has sung her to sleep like that since my husband's death, and she has had nightmares a lot lately. Thank you."

"We'd better get some sleep if we're going to head back to the village in the morning," Kohaku stated.

Kagome agreed. "Right."

"Hey, Yuuki, what do you plan to do?" InuYasha asked.

Yuuki looked at Kirara, who had finished her meal and was now curled up at her feet. "I think I want to come with you, if it's alright. I know there are the four of you already, but I feel like I belong with you guys." One look at the others told her she was welcome to join them.

Taka smiled. "Then wake us up before you leave, so Harumi and I can see you off."

Unbeknownst to those in the hut, another serpent had slithered close enough to hear their conversations. Silently it made its' way through the forest, meeting with its' mistress to alter their agenda.


	9. Selfishness, A Good Thing?

Early the next morning, Yuuki awoke to the sight of InuYasha leaning against the wall, holding Kagome against him. Both of them were asleep like the others in the hut, gentle smiles gracing their faces. The sight brought a smile to her face. _One can just tell that they deserve to be happy together,_ she thought as she quietly went outside.

Making her way back to the clearing where Izayoi's grave lay, she recalled everything Kotori had told her about her brother. Anytime word of his whereabouts and activities reached the village, the old man would tell her all about it. Contrary to what the present headman believed, InuYasha had gained the respect of demons and people alike. For some, it was a begrudging respect, since he had both human and youkai blood in him. For others, there was sheer gratitude.

She walked up to her mother's tombstone, the hidden doors sealed for good, and started brushing her hands over the surface, as if to memorize it by heart. And for several minutes, she didn't speak.

Finally, she started talking, her voice laced with sadness. "Mama, I'm going to be traveling with InuYasha and Kagome to their village. I thought things would be different for him when I asked him to come back to help. I mean, he's done so much to help others—and other villages think highly of him—" She wiped tears from her eyes, sniffled, and kept talking, unaware she had an audience.

"It's not fair, Mama—he's not the type of person the headman thinks he is. He takes care of his friends, and he doesn't know me, but he takes care of me anyway, and he's great with kids like Harumi and Shippo, and he freakin' saved the world from this Naraku guy!" With a sniffle, she continued, not bothering to dry her tears.

"But you probably know it isn't just because of him I'm leaving here. When Lord Kotori was alive, I was at least treated decently by everyone; now the villagers seem to think I'm a plague embodied or something. The only people that really care about me here are Taka and Harumi, since Iwao was taken to another village for medical care. But even Taka's spoken of taking Harumi and leaving because of the way Harumi's treated here. I know this is selfish, but I can't stay here if this is how they treat people who are different. I promise I'll visit when I can, but…" Her voice failed her and her face fell, leaving the remainder of her words unsaid. Only then did she hear a voice behind her.

"Sometimes you need to be selfish."

She turned and saw her older brother. He walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry, InuYasha, I didn't know you were there."

"It's okay, Sis—I seem to be an expert when it comes to sneaking up on people," he quipped, trying to get Yuuki to smile a little. He didn't get much of one, but it was a start. "But yeah, sometimes you need to be selfish. It's not a bad thing to care for someone and do things for them. But if that's all you do, you end up being a living throw rug for everyone that comes your way.

"I can't tell you how many times I walked all over Kagome just because of how she felt for me, and I regret it to this day. She finally made it clear that she wasn't going to take all that crap from me, and I'm trying to treat her better. This is just one of those times when you need to do something for yourself." He suddenly yawned, signaling he wasn't quite awake yet. "Anyway, Taka and Kagome are fixing breakfast, so I came to get you so we could head back for something to eat before we head home." Yuuki nodded before following his lead. After bidding their mother "goodbye", they exited the clearing, when he stopped and looked at her. "Oh, and Yuuki?"

She looked at him. "What's up?"

He smiled at his younger sister. _She just met Kagome, and already Yuuki's picked up some of her phrases_. "I really don't mind if you call me 'Big Brother', but keep it to a minimum, alright? I have a reputation to maintain, you know," he chuckled.

This earned him a genuine laugh. "Sure enough, _Big Brother._ Well, let's get moving." With that, they returned to Taka's house.

=IY=

Meanwhile, Mamushi's servant arrived in an underground castle where she resided. It slithered to the main hall. Its' mistress stood over a table, where a woman's body lay. She turned to look it in the eye, its' memories of the previous night transferring to her own mind. With a brief nod, Mamushi gave her next command.

"I cannot resurrect this woman—she's been dead too long. Take her corpse to the edge of the next village, and leave it there. Then go after InuYasha and his friends. Bring me some of the hanyou girl's blood. I must see if it is what I need to bring my brother back to life."

With a hiss, it transformed into a large snake, and proceeded with its' mission.

After the woman had been left at her destination for some time, she started breathing. Shaking, she got to her feet and began to stumble westward. _That woman—is she really related to Naraku?_ She thought with fear. _She may have brought me back, but I will not become a slave to anyone like that ever again. It took a lot out of me to pretend to stay dead, and I can't risk being caught again. I must seek Sesshomaru—fast._

=IY=

After saying farewell to Taka and Harumi, InuYasha's pack left the village, a little sad about the lack of allies there. They made good headway, as they were taking the best shortcut to get back home, stopping for lunch about half-way there. When the group stopped, Kagome and Yuuki made their way to the river nearby to fill up several of those strange water bottle things, leaving Tsuyoi and Yasashi with the guys. The girls were almost back to their resting site, when they were startled by another serpent demon shooting at them from the wooded area. Within seconds, InuYasha, Kohaku, and Shippo ran to the scene.

"You back for some more, punk?" InuYasha spat.

"No, just the hanyouess's blood will suffice," the demon replied.

The target in question took on a battle stance. "Sorry, but the only blood that'll be lost today is your own."

_*Sigh* Just like her brother, _Shippo thought, a little exasperated.

"Heh-heh-heh-heh—the abyss will freeze over before I can be defeated!"

Just as Yuuki started to dodge the snake, it had already calculated her movement. Suddenly, giant fangs enveloped her torso. The grip was so tight, the pain so intense—she couldn't even make a sound. The serpent bit down harder, trying to get her to scream, whimper, make a sound of any sort. But both the hanyouess's pain and dignity refused to give it such satisfaction.

"Let her go!" Kagome pointed a sacred arrow at the girl's captor, shooting its' throat. In a brief spasm of pain, it dropped its' prey, and Yuuki fell into her brother's arms. Once he had set her at the base of a tree, InuYasha stood in front of Kagome.

"You wench—prepare for the hereafter!" It turned its' goal now toward the couple. Shippo and Kohaku joined the battle.

Yuuki, meanwhile, stood back up on shaking legs. InuYasha heard her movement and looked at her.

"Sis, don't move, you're bleeding," the older hanyou commanded.

She didn't respond to him. It wasn't that she couldn't, but her aura was changing. She started pulsing, not looking up to meet her brother's eyes. A guttural growl made its' way past her lips.

"Y-Y-Yuuki?" Shippo asked cautiously. "A-are you okay? Say something!"

At that moment, she looked their opponent dead in its' eyes. Although she showed no fang, the whites of her eyes had become blood red, her irises silver with streaks of gold. "I guess the abyss you speak of is having a blizzard right now."

Everyone watched her, breathless with fear. _Yuuki's become a full demon!_


	10. The Futures We Wanted To See

Sesshomaru was walking through the woods near his palace when he smelled something—or maybe it was someone—vaguely familiar in the air. Jaken stopped behind him, not sure as to why his master was hesitating. "My lord, what is the matter?" Then it slowly dawned on him, having smelled the aroma as well. "If my nose is correct, someone is trespassing on your private grounds!"

The youkai wanted to roll his eyes at his assistant's delayed observation. "Jaken, do not jump to conclusions. This invader does not pose a threat, but she is injured. I will investigate the matter personally. And you will not follow." Leaving the surprised imp behind, he proceeded to follow the scent that floated on wind currents towards him as quickly as he could. _This world has seen strange things, so why do I have a sense of surprise?_ When he arrived at his destination, any anger towards whoever had come to his borders disappeared.

Meanwhile, the person in question was stumbling through the brush.

_I'm almost there,_ the injured woman thought, as she entered the Western lands. _I cannot give up now—I've already made it this far._ At that moment, she unexpectedly tripped on an exposed tree stump. Falling forward, she braced herself for impact with the ground, no strength remaining to continue on her quest.

She landed in a pair of arms, strong enough to catch her, but gentle enough to keep her from further pain. She looked up at her rescuer, and seeing his face, smiled. "It has been a long time, Sesshomaru."

=IY=

Back in InuYasha's village, Sakura, Rin, and Kaede were leaving the hut of a new set of parents. It looked like things would go well with mother and baby. They had Kagome to thank for that, with the information she had obtained from her former time. People used to call anyone that made her suggestions crazy. Since she was born in the future, however, she had more knowledge than those in the Feudal Era, and that knowledge was saving more lives than before. All in all, it was turning out to be a pretty good day.

That is, until Sakura saw a bear demon approaching the village.

She looked at Kaede hesitantly, expecting the older miko to draw her bow and shoot it. When she saw that her mentor hadn't moved to do so, she automatically took aim at the encroaching enemy. This time, the arrow didn't merely fly to its' target. It took on a holy aura en route! The second it hit the demon, there was nothing left of it but ashes.

The two girls saw this astonished. Kaede, however, smiled. Though Sakura was unaware of it, Kaede was testing her to ensure that her suspicions were correct. Perhaps the young woman would be fitting to take Kagome's place as the village's official miko. Although she could serve as miko if she married InuYasha, Kagome would no longer be allowed to perform the _temple_ duties. Kaede saw no problem, however, with the young woman helping to train Sakura for the position. And if the glowing arrow a minute ago was any indicator, Midoriko had given her plans—both for the soon-to-be miko and a certain upcoming marriage—her blessing.

"Kaede, why didn't you do anything when we were attacked?" Sakura's confusion was evident in her voice.

"Forgive me, Sakura," the older woman said. "I was simply making sure of my suspicions."

"What suspicions?"

"Nay, child—I cannot tell ye as of yet. I must speak with Lady Kagome about them first."

Suddenly the younger woman's head turned to look behind them. "Something's wrong, Lady Kaede!"

"Oh? What is it?"

"I don't know, but I thought I heard a voice telling me to set up a bed for an injured person."

"What voice, Sakura? I didn't hear anything!" Rin exclaimed.

"Nor I," Kaede confessed.

Sakura looked at them with a mixture of awe and fear. "It wasn't just any voice. It sounded almost…holy. And it said that the person that's been hurt is with Lady Kagome and InuYasha!"

Kaede's remaining eye went wide at that. _Midoriko…_ "Then we must go set things up right now." The three women made their way to Kaede's hut as fast as they could.

=IY=

The serpent towered over the group, looking the transformed Yuuki in the eye. "Your blood has changed—it is no longer that of a half-breed! How is this possible!" It exclaimed.

"Dunno—it just is, I guess," the girl spat back. As she spoke, she had already jumped into the air, grabbed the demon by the tail, and started whipping it around. The group below could hear bones cracking. Then, she ran up its' body and punched its' neck, allowing gravity to take over as they plummeted to the ground. It was dead on impact, but she had to make sure it stayed that way. Yuuki cleared her head and returned to her hanyou form, before limping to Tsuyoi and plunging it into the corpse. The body dissipated as soon as the sword entered it.

The others watched everything transpire with shock. Yuuki had somehow been able to control her transformations. As if telepathic, she told them, "Taka helped me learn to do that." She started to move back to the rest of them, when she felt terribly dizzy. Her hand was still on Tsuyoi's handle, and she tried to remain standing. But without warning she collapsed, the pain of the battle wounds knocking her unconscious.

"Yuuki!" Kagome cried, kneeling next to her friend.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Shippo asked, afraid that she was dying.

"I'm not sure, but we've got to get her help right now."

InuYasha turned to Sango's brother. "Kohaku, how fast can you run?"

"Fast enough to get to the village by sunset," the boy answered.

The man nodded. "I need you to try to keep up with me as best as possible. Shippo, you ride on my shoulder. Kirara," he looked at their two-tailed companion, who had grown into her massive form before she was commanded. "I need you to take Kagome and Yuuki ahead of us to Kaede's place. Let's go!" As soon as he had helped situate the two women on Kirara, InuYasha and the others raced along behind them. _Please don't let them get there too late._

Just before sunset, he arrived in the village. Kirara was back in her tiny form, and Sango saw him, Shippo, and Kohaku as they entered. "Are they—"

"Your sister is in Kaede's hut, and Kagome's with her," Sango responded. "It seems that Sakura, one of the village girls, had a premonition that someone traveling with you would be injured and helped Kaede set things up. She's assisting Kaede and Kagome right now."

InuYasha let out a sigh of relief. Then he sat down on the ground, staring ahead unfocused. "This is the second time I failed her."

"What?" Sango said, startled.

"I promised Mother before she died I'd take care of Yuuki. But I ran away like a coward, all over some stupid taunts I got as a kid. Then I renewed that promise, both yesterday and this morning, and not hours later, she's fighting for her life!" He buried his face in his hands. He wasn't crying; just worn out. "I can't be trusted with my own sister's safety; what would make me think I could be trusted with Kagome?"

Unbeknownst to him, Miroku had overheard his self-loathing rant. "You can't be, if you go around moping like this."

He looked at the former monk. "Pfeh—what would you know about it? You never made a promise that serious to anyone."

"What about the one I made to my father? I swore that I would get rid of my family's cursed wind tunnel, and you and the others helped me accomplish that. We failed a few times before we finally won, but we kept going because of the futures we wanted to see. You also failed Kagome many times chasing after someone else, but you still came through for her when it counted. It was your desire to create a future with her that spurred you on to win against Naraku, is that not correct?"

He remembered what he had said to Kagome in the Sacred Tree a week after her return: _"I don't know how much pain I caused you when I was going to visit Kikyo all those times, but I know it must have been killing you inside." "I know you love me for who I am—that's evidence alone that you are __not__ Kikyo's reincarnation. You see me as completely human, in spite of my bloodline." "…who would think that someone would try to kiss a guy on the verge of becoming a full-blooded demon? Or yell how she felt for him in front of her enemies while a hostage?" _ "Yeah—I guess it did," he admitted, a smile slowly making its' way to his face.

His friend patted him on the back. "Then don't give up. And if Yuuki is anything like you, I doubt you'll need to worry about taking care of her a whole lot. Besides, there's someone else, I suspect, that desires that you take care of her for the rest of both your lives."

He stood up and looked Miroku in the eyes. "Thanks—I needed to hear that." With that, he made his way to Kaede's, where he planned to wait outside for answers.


	11. The Resurrected Women

"Answer me one question; how is it that you've been brought back from the dead after more than three years?" Sesshomaru asked as he carried the woman towards his palace.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye before focusing on the direction they were headed. "Some woman named Mamushi claims to be Naraku's sister. She must have found a way to make it possible. Thankfully, she didn't get the chance to rip my heart out like he had, since I made it to look as if I were still dead. It seems she was going to use me against you and InuYasha, as Naraku had. She has already attacked your brother and his friends, from what I understand." She proceeded to tell him the details about her escape.

There was silence for a minute before the dog demon spoke again. He didn't want to talk about InuYasha. "I swear I will destroy this woman with my bare hands for disturbing your grave." He was surprised to hear a low chuckle emitted from his cargo. "Why do you laugh at me? Do you not think I am capable of doing so?"

"No, Lord Sesshomaru—it isn't that I don't believe you can. I want to see her brought down, as well. However, her foolishness in taking me from my grave has made it possible for me to see you once more. I suppose, in a way, I owe her for that." She knew her not-entirely-subtle confession might fall on deaf ears, but she felt she needed to try anyway.

He called for an attendant to help take care of her wounds before carrying her into one of the empty bedchambers. With the gentleness he often hid beneath his usually hard actions, he laid her down before the attendant entered. "You need to regain your strength and have your injuries attended to. I must take my leave for a few hours and visit my brother." Just before he exited the doors, he turned to look at her with an uncharacteristically kind look in his eyes. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Kagura." With that, he left the palace.

Kagura had a genuine smile on her face as she watched him leave. "Thank you, Sesshomaru."

=IY=

It had now been several hours since the pack had brought Yuuki to InuYasha's village, and there still wasn't any word in regards to how she was faring. The young man kept vigil outside Kaede's hut, hoping that any one of the women inside would update him on his sister's condition. He was growing weary, but his anxiety denied him rest. Night had long since fallen, the moon looking almost like a shrinking kiwi at this point. InuYasha was almost ready to nod off, when a certain flea started to drink his blood.

_SLAP!_ "No—not again…"

"Back off, Myoga, I'm not in the mood for any of your crap right now."

The squashed bug hopped up. "Forgive me, Master InuYasha. You looked deep in thought, and you didn't answer me when I spoke to you initially, so—"

"Don't give me that, I don't want to hear your excuses."

"It's imperative that you heed me, Master—your sister lost a large amount of blood before transforming, did she not?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she had just beaten the snake when she fainted." InuYasha looked at Myoga's face and noticed the nervousness. It then dawned on him what he was implying. "Her human night's coming up!"

"Yes, that is what concerns me," the flea answered. "Yuuki will be full-human tomorrow night, and there's no way she can be completely healed by that time. And if the Yasashi is anything like the Tenseiga, it cannot heal her again. The only consolation I can offer is that I checked to see if she received any venom from the bite. It looks like the deadliest thing about the snake was the bite itself."

Another, smaller hand snatched the diminutive creature out of his master's grasp. Now he was face-to-face with an angry Kagome, whose own tiredness was seeping through. "And you just drank her blood, _knowing_ she had lost so much already!"

Suddenly, Myoga had more to fear than InuYasha. "P-p-please! It was only a little bit, and I drank what was already on the ground!"

"Since when have you ever done that, stupid? You're not fooling anyone, you know," said hanyou replied. "Get out of here—I can't stand the sight of you right now." Reluctantly, the flea left, knowing that his life would be as good as over if he stayed any longer.

"It would be a lot easier on all of us if he'd just take responsibility for what he does," the young woman sighed.

"Pfeh—little chance of that happening, though." InuYasha stood to face her. "How's Yuuki?"

"We got the bleeding to stop, and the wounds are bandaged as well as possible. But like Myoga said, she won't be fully healed by tomorrow night." Kagome looked up at him, a tear sliding down her face. "InuYasha, I'm afraid she might die before sunrise."

The hanyou pulled her into his comforting hold. "Come on, Kagome—she's my sister, right? I don't think she's the type to give up so easily." He felt her return the embrace, and gave her a lingering kiss on the top of her head. He didn't care if anyone saw, if it was deemed filthy by others. Kagome needed comfort as much as he did, and he would give it.

"I see the young miko has returned."

They quickly turned to look at the intruder.

"Sesshomaru…" InuYasha growled, moving the startled young woman behind him. He reached for Tetsusaiga, ready to wield it if need be.

The older brother held his hand up. "Don't be foolish, InuYasha. I've merely come to inquire about someone who claims to be a relative of Naraku."

"How would you know about that?"

"I was informed of this by Kagura," Sesshomaru stated flatly.

A look of disbelief was on InuYasha's face. "That's not possible—Kagura's dead."

"'_Was dead' _would be more appropriate, little brother. It seems that a woman by the name of Mamushi was able to resurrect her. Kagura also told me that this Mamushi had attacked you and your friends already. Was she telling the truth?"

"Yeah, it is. What now? You planning to team up with her or something?"

"What would I gain by doing that?" Sesshomaru looked at him with disdain. "If she is anything like Naraku, she would have started using Kagura against you and your miko."

"It doesn't matter. You've joined forces with our enemies before, Sesshomaru—may I remind you of Naraku? So how would we know you aren't planning to do that again?"

"Wait a second, InuYasha." Kagome touched InuYasha's arm, causing him to look at her. She turned to face the older brother. "If she was planning to use Kagura, how did you find her?"

Looking at the miko, the dog demon answered. "Apparently, after she was brought back, she continued to fake her death. Mamushi had ordered one of her servants to leave her body on the outskirts of a village before going to attack your group. From there, Kagura made her way to my lands. She is resting in my palace as we speak." He then looked back to his brother. "As for you, I thought I heard you mention having a sister just now. Why have I not heard of this sister of yours?"

"Long story short, I did something stupid as a kid and left her alone with an elder from my old village. We were reunited a couple nights ago, but she was almost fatally injured in battle earlier afternoon. She's in—"

The flap of the hut was almost ripped off when Sakura exited in a panic to get them. "Lady Kagome! Yuuki stopped breathing!"

"Oh no, please!" Kagome breathed as she ran inside, followed by an equally fearful InuYasha.

Sesshomaru was rather surprised at the young miko's reaction, and decided to follow the others. When he entered the hut, he saw his brother kneeling by a small body with short silver hair. Two dog ears were perched atop the girl's head.

"InuYasha, I'm going to do CPR on Yuuki," Kagome stated, trying to keep as calm as possible. "I need you to tilt her head back for me so I can breathe for her."

He watched as InuYasha moved towards the girl's head and bent it back slightly, as if he knew what Kagome was doing. Considering his brother had visited Kagome's era before, Sesshomaru shouldn't have been all that surprised. Of course, things would be different in the future than they were now. He was shocked, however, when the young woman straddled the girl and pumped her chest with both hands in a fist. Even more confusing, every few seconds, she would place her lips on the girl's mouth and blow in. He surmised that was what Kagome was talking about when she said she would "breathe" for her friend. Once in a while, she would hold the girl's wrist for a couple seconds. This went on for several minutes before she finally stopped.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. InuYasha looked up at Kagome. She looked at him in return with grief, before moving to his side to cry with him. The girl they had just met, a sister to both of them…

Yuuki was dead.

Sesshomaru watched the miko and his brother holding one another before looking back at the young hanyouess. She had their father's hair color and claws, just as they did. He could only guess that her eyes matched theirs', as well. For a moment, he debated whether or not to use Tenseiga, looking around the hut as he did. In one corner, he saw two blades. He automatically recognized them._ Those are…_

"Why are you not using the Yasashi?" He demanded.

Kagome looked towards the swords. "Myoga said it wouldn't work, since it's a smaller version of—wait!" She swerved to face him, the others following suit. "You know of the swords?"

"The flea is a fool, then. Take the Yasashi and swing it over the girl."

"But it's already been used to save her life once!" InuYasha stated.

The demon started looking rather angry. "Just take the sword and swing it over her—it was not made like its' predecessor. The Yasashi can heal and resurrect multiple times, according to its' owner's will."

There was a moment of hesitation in his brother's eyes. Then InuYasha jumped over to the swords and grabbed the Yasashi. He had no time to be surprised that the sword didn't react negatively to his touch. He took it over to Yuuki's body and made ready to swipe it.

"I see the escorts of the underworld coming after her. Swing it now!"

The sword's path sent a downward arching wind towards the body, obliterating the messengers of the underworld. Seconds ticked by slowly. What if it didn't work? Slowly, the girl's eyes opened to see herself surrounded by people. But there was one person she hadn't seen before, standing next to the door. He was slowly making his way out the door, looking satisfied. Sakura followed behind him.

Yuuki looked at the others around her. "Thank you, guys—I thought I was going to die."

Her brother's serious face greeted her. "Yuuki—you _did _die."


	12. In The Mirror's Shadows

Back in the hidden cave, Mamushi clenched and unclenched her fists. One of her other minions had followed the larger snake to the battle site to ensure that she could get her way. When Yuuki transformed, however, any hope for research was destroyed along with her servant. "Those fools actually think they'll get away with eliminating my forces—how dare they!" For a moment, her face was contorted with rage, before a cunning smile came to her face. "But the siblings are merely half-breeds. I wonder; what would happen if I forced them both into becoming demons?"

"You would be well advised to stave off from that particular route with the elder one, my sister," a familiar, sinister voice replied from the mirror behind her.

She turned to look at the face that appeared from within the glass. "I see that you are awakening, brother. How do you fare inside your prison?"

There was a distinct chuckle resounding, one mixed with desire and hatred. "As well as could be expected, considering the circumstances. But I thought I heard you plan to turn the half-breeds to full demons?"

"Yes, and what would make you say that I mustn't do so?"

"Because I did it once myself. I tried to turn InuYasha against the young miko, and she didn't put up a fight when he seemed to attack her. At first, I had thought it a success. When he came to his senses, however, he searched everywhere within my body to find the girl. He had been trying to keep her safe. It seems that his human, hanyou, and youkai sides all hold strong feelings for her. And to attempt to turn a half-demon's youkai against their comrades is a suicidal attempt indeed. However…" the shadow of Naraku trailed off, leaving the sentence finished.

"'However', what?" Mamushi pressed, not happy that her brother was leaving her to figure things out herself.

His smile bode no good, neither to his enemies nor his allies. "You may be better off turning InuYasha and his friends against the girl. They do not know her well, and she would be easier to manipulate if she believes she is not trusted by those who care about her."

"Then perhaps you are unaware of the most recent turn of events? She has joined them, and has even risked her life to save them. It won't happen, trust me."

"I see. In that case, let's bring back one of her old friends. Is that his body on the table?"

Turning to where Naraku was looking, she nodded towards the corpse. "Indeed. And how will this bring down your enemies?"

His smile grew darker. "How better to defeat them than from right under their noses? I will take my time transferring myself into this body. And while we're waiting for the finished product, let's take a more simplified approach—attack them."

=IY=

"I—I died? For real?" the young hanyouess asked. She could hardly believe what her brother had just told her. On second thought, her body was freezing cold just a minute ago, and now it was beginning to warm up. _I guess that explains it._

InuYasha nodded. "Yeah. Kagome and I tried to bring you back using a method she learned in her time, but you must have lost too much blood. If it wasn't for Sesshomaru, you wouldn't have come back to us."

"Sesshomaru?"

"Pfeh," her brother replied. "He's the sibling I mentioned the night you met up with us. Apparently he knew about the existence of Tsuyoi and Yasashi, and told me to use Yasashi on you."

Kagome had remained silent during this time, but now she was curious about something. "Hold on, InuYasha. Remember whenever Sesshomaru tried to use Tetsusaiga in the past? It burned him every time, but you've never been hurt once. But Yuuki owns these blades, so how is it that you were able to wield it without getting hurt?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because Yuuki and I share the same type of blood; you know, half-demon and half-human? Or else Yasashi may have sensed that something was really wrong with Yuuki, and that I was trying to help her. It could be any number of reasons."

"Well, ye shall find out soon enough, I suppose," Kaede added. The group had lowered their voices now, because Yuuki was conked out.

"Speaking of 'find out'," InuYasha started, "Do you have any idea if there's a way that…well, uh…"

"I know what ye are getting at, InuYasha," the elder miko replied. "And yes, I believe I may have come up with a solution of sorts." Seeing that she had her young friends' attention, she pressed forward. "I assume that Sango told ye of Sakura's premonition?"

The hanyou man nodded. "Yeah, she did."

"A couple of days ago, she managed to unknowingly shoot a vulture demon on the archery range," she continued. "Also, this morning she used a sacred arrow to kill a bear demon, and just now, she helped me to help your sister with her wounds. I believe, therefore, that Sakura may very well be the miko to take over for me upon my death."

"But how does this affect Kagome and I?"

"Simply put, while Kagome cannot perform the temple duties once she weds, she can still train Sakura to do other things required for a miko. Then, regarding the work in the temple, I will help her learn the requirements involved. What think ye of this arrangement, Kagome?"

The young woman's eyes lit up. "Count me in."

"Then it has been settled." Kaede smiled at her before turning to face the man. "Now I believe there is something ye wish to ask of Kagome?"

InuYasha looked at Kagome, a genuine expression of anticipation mixed with fear on his face. Finally, after a few seconds, he took a deep breath. "Kagome, I don't have anything of material worth to give you, but I give you my heart and soul. Will you be my mate—will you marry me?"

For a second, Kagome was speechless. All she could think to do was run to him and embrace him as tightly as possible. When she found her voice, she whispered, "Yes, InuYasha—I will!"

"At last!" The old woman exclaimed. "I cannot tell how proud I am of ye two. And with the length of time ye had to wait, I suppose it would only be fair to you to have ye wed at once. It needn't be a large affair, perhaps friends and family for the official ceremony. It can be performed as soon as ye wish. Then, when there is time, the entire village will celebrate with ye."

The young miko and her hanyou looked at her. "You would do that for us?" InuYasha asked. Both his face and Kagome's were as eager as children.

"Aye, I would. Ye have gone through much to save everyone and endured separation for three whole years. It is time that ye were both rewarded."

He leaned towards Kagome and whispered something in her ear, to which she replied in kind. With a nod, he asked, "Kaede, we would like for it to be the day after tomorrow, if possible. Yuuki's going to be going through her human night tomorrow, so we want her to be as recovered as she can be to attend."

"Consider it done, then. For the time being, however, I suggest ye do the same as your sister. With all that ye have been through today, I dare say ye must both be exhausted."

Just then, a crash resounded from outside the hut. InuYasha and Kagome rushed through the door to confront whatever was attacking. Sesshomaru had already left, so that wasn't the cause. Miroku had started fighting their foe, this time a giant boa, before they joined the battle. But no matter how many blows they dealt the demon, the monster would regenerate, as if a shard of the now nonexistent Shikon no Tama were within its body. This could only mean the boa also had other demonic genetics within it.

Suddenly it charged at InuYasha, too fast for him to move out of the way. Panicking, Kagome took aim and said the only thing that would get him out of the attacker's way. She knew he'd be angry with her for it, but he would make it out alive this way.

"InuYasha, SIT!" As soon as he had hit the ground, Kagome released a Sacred Arrow. It shot straight through the target, disintegrating the offender in nanoseconds.

Once the beads released him from the ground, InuYasha looked at her with hurt and anger. "Of all the times to give the command, you chose the middle of the battle to say 'it'?"

"Well, excuse me for saving your life! Would you rather I'd have been planning your funeral than our wedding?"

The hurt in her voice was also reflected in her face, causing him to take a step back. He did understand why she used the command, so why was he being a jerk to her about it?

Kagome bowed her head, fighting tears. "I'm going back to Kaede's—I need to be alone right now." She looked up to see his ears flatten to his head. "I'm not backing out of marrying you; I just need to think for a while."

All he could do was watch as she walked back to the hut, but not before a quiet apology left his mouth.


	13. InuYasha's Adrenaline & Kouga's Humbling

I'm using the lyrics to "Adrenaline" by Love Like Gravity in this chapter. Hope you like the song as much as I do!

=+IY+=

Neither Kagome nor InuYasha slept that night. Kaede had tried to convince Kagome to lie down and sleep, that she would watch over Yuuki for a while. After a few hours of vigilance, Kagome at least conceded to the laying down part. Unfortunately, she couldn't stop tossing and turning. She couldn't quit remembering her argument with InuYasha.

_My era's movies have it way past wrong,_ she thought pessimistically. _Arguments rarely have an easy fix-up._ Of course, having been raised cheering Cinderella, she couldn't exactly complain about it. Seeing movies like "While You Were Sleeping" made up for it, though. Knowing it was almost dawn, she quietly made her way out of the hut.

She looked around briefly to see if she could catch a glimpse of her hanyou fiancé, to no avail. _I guess that leaves only one place for him to be._

=+IY+=

Meanwhile, her target in question was sitting in the Sacred Tree. InuYasha had stayed up thinking about last night. He wasn't angry at Kagome, but he wasn't exactly happy with her either. _I know she was only using the command to save my life, but surely there was a better way to get me out of danger. Still, if she hadn't have said "it"…_ The thought that she might have been burying him today led him to be grateful.

He caught his favorite scent in the pre-dawn breeze and looked in the direction of the village. He watched as Kagome approached the tree, and her own eyes made contact with his. He also noticed that she was exhausted and was most likely dealing with a serious guilt trip right now. Jumping down from his post, InuYasha made his way toward Kagome. "Hey."

She looked at him with a gentle smile. "Hi. Are you okay?"

"Pfeh—I'm fine. I only got a couple scratches, no big deal." InuYasha took off his haori and wrapped it around her. "You should worry more about yourself." Kagome only nodded at him. He sighed and pulled her towards himself. "Listen, I can't believe I'm saying this, but last night—"

"I'm sorry. I should've thought to do something else." She leaned against him, clinging to his shirt. She felt his arms encircle her and his chest rumble with a chuckle, and she looked into his eyes with curiosity.

"I was actually going to say you did the right thing, Kagome," he told her. "If you hadn't said that…" He stopped talking when he saw how close her face was to his. His lips slowly descended towards hers.

As their faces drew closer together, the last thought in Kagome's mind was, _Okay, so maybe quick resolutions aren't all that bad after all._

"Lady Kaede said you didn't sleep last night," Yuuki's voice intruded, stopping their impending kiss. She wore one of Sango's old kimonos, as her own outfit was beyond repair. Kagome and InuYasha jumped a couple feet apart, as if caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar. Seeing this, the girl shook her head, laughing. "Don't put on that act, you two; it's not like I haven't seen people kissing before."

InuYasha cleared his throat, trying to cover his embarrassment. "Should you be walking around right now, though? You did get severely injured yesterday."

The younger hanyou shrugged nonchalantly. "Meh—I'm a fast healer. Besides, I was getting restless without you guys there. Kaede's fixing breakfast right now, so she asked me to get you."

The trio had only made a few steps toward the village, when InuYasha tensed up. "Looks like we're going to have an unwelcome visitor," he snarled, turning to face an approaching whirlwind. When it died down, the intruder revealed himself.

"Kagome, my love, you've returned at last! Oh, hi, Mutt—faces?" Kouga looked back and forth between the siblings, not quite sure how to process two inu-hanyou.

"Back off, Kouga; you're not welcome here."

"Who are you to say that?" the ookami youkai demanded. "And just who are you, Mutt-girl?"

"KOUGA!" Kagome yelled, anger rising along with her voice. "InuYasha's name is _not_ 'Mutt-face', and Yuuki's name is _not_ 'Mutt-girl'!"

The men looked at her in surprise. Kagome had never before snapped at Kouga. This caused InuYasha to feel pride in her, and he couldn't prevent a smile from taking over his face.

"But Kagome, you're my woman!"

With a sigh, the miko answered. "Look, if I really were your woman, I would have sought _you_ out when I came back. Besides, InuYasha has no reason to hold anything from me, but I wouldn't blame him if he did."

He scoffed at that. "Yeah, like maybe he's only with you because that walking tombstone is out of the picture."

Kagome winced at this jab, and her fiancé took immediate notice. "You'd better watch your words, Kouga," InuYasha growled, his hand already resting on Tetsusaiga's hilt.

"Or what, Mutt? You planning to send me to visit Miss Holier-Than-Thou?"

"No, I have a feeling she wouldn't be where I'd send you." The hanyou's grip on the sword tightened. "But keep insulting Kagome like that, and I'd be more than happy to get you acquainted with the Meido."

"Just try it!" With that, they charged at each other.

_Every drop sends my heart racing_

"InuYasha, no!" Kagome called out. She took a step towards the guys when Yuuki grabbed her arm.

_Relax and let the vitals spin_

"Don't stop them, Kagome," the hanyouess told her firmly.

_Every pulse of new blood burning_

"But he could get hurt!"

_Like currents sliding underneath my skin_

"He's fighting to keep you!

_Let it all crash, we'll be okay_

"If you stop him from fighting, he'll lose by default!"

_If it all falls, I'm not afraid_

Suddenly, Kagome understood why her "sits" made InuYasha so angry. He wasn't trying to show how tough he was by comparison to Kouga; he was protecting her from unknown dangers. He may have been the cause of her emotional distress in the past, but he genuinely wanted her to be safe.

_I feel you flow, feel you move, feel you shaking me_

She refrained from continuing into the fray and clasped her hands tightly, silently holding him up.

_I feel you running through my veins like adrenaline, adrenaline_

_(you're my adrenaline)_

InuYasha could barely dodge Kouga's punches, and he didn't know how much he'd be able to handle before unleashing his sword.

_Like a fire energized, you awaken me_

One thing he did notice, though, was the lack of a certain command.

_I feel you running through my veins like adrenaline, adrenaline_

_(you're my adrenaline)_

Suddenly, a kick landed right in Kouga's gut, knocking the wind out of him as he slid away from his opponent.

_Every jolt invades my system, light me up with energy_

The wolf was distracted for a second before returning to battle stance.

_Every transfer's motivating, it's overflowing, you're what's guiding me_

He made a leap towards InuYasha, still expecting Kagome to "Sit!" the hanyou.

_Let it all crash, we'll be okay_

His fist collided with InuYasha's jaw, then another punch to his chin sent him flying towards the two women.

_If it all falls, I'm not afraid_

Landing in front of Kagome, he tried to get up, but only ended up kneeling.

_I feel you flow, feel you move, feel you shaking me_

"InuYasha!" she gasped, trying to help him up.

_I feel you running through my veins like adrenaline, adrenaline_

_(you're my adrenaline)_

He gently pushed her away as he tried to stand. "I'm fine, Kagome." His knees, however, had already buckled a second time.

_Like a fire energized, you awaken me_

_I feel you running through my veins like adrenaline, adrenaline_

_(you're my adrenaline)_

"Good, 'cause I need you to fight for us."

He looked at her out of curiosity. "What?"

She nodded. "I told _you_ I would marry you, and I doubt Kouga will accept it when he finds out. Besides, you're the best fighter I know. Now go back out there and fight him—for both of us!"

He felt an urgent rush of strength that he wasn't aware he had, almost like Kagome had loaned him her own. He let out a short laugh; that was an understatement. She _was_ his strength. InuYasha turned back to the battlefield once more, and charged at Kouga. He _would_ win this.

_I feel you flow, feel you move, feel you shaking me_

Kouga was now finding it difficult to get an attack in. Somehow InuYasha had become faster, more agile, harder to read with tactics.

_I feel you running through my veins like adrenaline, adrenaline_

_(you're my adrenaline)_

One second, his fist was making its' way back to InuYasha's jaw. The next, his target had vanished!

_Like a fire energized, you awaken me_

_I feel you running through my veins like adrenaline, adrenaline_

_(you're my adrenaline)_

"Too slow!"

Looking back, Kouga's face was met head-on with a clawed fist.

_You're my adrenaline_

This time, the youkai couldn't catch himself, and he landed at the edge of the clearing.

_You're my adrenaline_

Kagome slowly made her way towards InuYasha, who was out of breath. Kouga stirred and sat up just in time to see him kiss the top of her head.

_You're my adrenaline_

As they turned to meet up with Yuuki, they heard a depressed and angry exclamation. "Kill me!" The threesome turned to look at Kouga, who was gripping the dirt hard with his claws.

"No."

The ookami glared at the victor. "You're supposed to kill the loser, you know. What's with the sympathy?"

Another whirlwind entered the vicinity, announcing Ayame's arrival. Upon seeing how bad Kouga looked, she was about to open her mouth to demand an explanation, when InuYasha answered.

"If anyone should deliver the final blow, Kouga, it's Ayame. You made a promise to her, with no intention of ever following through. And if that wasn't enough, you lied about having forgotten the promise." He looked at Ayame and continued. "Even Ayame knows you lied that day, when you told everyone within hearing distance that you didn't remember."

Ayame looked between Kagome and Kouga, and the puzzle pieces started fusing together. "He tells the truth—Kouga was pursuing you this entire time, wasn't he? And you were only trying to spare his feelings, right?" A small nod from Kagome was all she needed. She smiled sadly before turning towards Kouga. "I guess I get it, though. I was just a little kid when the promise was made, so it really shouldn't matter to me. But…" Dejected, she was planning to return from where she came. Instead, she asked, "Kagome, would you happen to have some extra medical herbs available? Kouga looks pretty beat up."

"Sure, I'll bring some right away," the miko responded cheerfully, following InuYasha and Yuuki back to the village.

"You think things will be okay with them?" Yuuki asked. "Ayame looked really depressed about."

InuYasha just looked back at the two wolf youkai. "I don't know, but it looks like they're going to need a lot of time to straighten things out." Then he looked at Kagome. "And I will not let you go back there unless I'm with you, you got that?"

Kagome had also been looking at Ayame and Kouga as he said this. "Don't worry, InuYasha—I have a feeling those two won't really need my help. But let's humor them, okay?"

Even though he feigned indifference, his eyes showed understanding as he merely said, "Pfeh."


	14. Teaching Me To Love You

A man was quietly making his way through Yuuki's former village. The people greeted him as if they knew who he was. But therein lay the key word: _was_. The body had lost its' life, becoming a mere host for the enemy. The possessor had no plans to attack the village—yet. He behaved as if he had amnesia about this dead man's existence, trying to learn who his host was. It would be easier to fool that half-breed girl if he knew what made Iwao tick. Naraku used the corpse's facial muscles to emit a polite smile and asked the headman, "I'm sorry, sir, but who are you?"

In Taka's hut, however, the demoness watched the scene unfold from behind the door flap. Her keen senses caught onto the stench of death and evil wafting from the man, but she held her tongue. No one would ever believe a woman with her bloodline. She felt an air of foreboding surrounding the village, and was even more determined to get her daughter out of the vicinity as fast as possible.

She and Harumi were packing their belongings, with plans to move to InuYasha's village. Their friends had left, leaving behind an invitation to join them there. The more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. Hostility was mounting in this village, in spite of the fact that the citizens had been rescued. The only reason they were never attacked directly was out of fear, and with good reason. Taka may not have been the most powerful of demons, but she was still formidable in her own right.

She suspected, however, that the dissent was more the work of the present headman than the villagers. No disrespect intended, she quietly hoped that another, more suitable leader would take the man's place. That coward's way of dealing with things was with uncontrollable anger, inciting fear in the villagers, and more or less forcing them to do things his way. She moved away from the doorway, trying to shake off the sudden chill that went through her spine.

"Mama? What's the matter?" A small voice chimed.

Taka turned to look at Harumi and sighed, trying to get the devilish odor out of her nostrils. "I thought I saw one of Yuuki's old friends, but I was mistaken. Come, we need to do as much as possible before the sun sets, alright?" When she saw Harumi nod, she returned to her own packing. A few minutes later, she spotted an ornate box on one of the upper shelves in her room.

It had a name carved in kanji and a family seal on the lid, which was itself sealed to the box. No, it was not her own, but it was under her care until its' owner received it. She smiled and thought, _The time has come._

=+IY+=

After the trio arrived at Kaede's, InuYasha, Kagome, and Yuuki quickly ate a bowl of stew while the elderly miko gathered the herbs needed to treat Kouga's injuries. Having seen Kagome's face downcast, the older hanyou was confused for a moment, before replaying the wolf youkai's earlier jab at his beloved:

"…_maybe he's only with you because that walking tombstone is out of the picture."_

That comment had been extremely uncalled for, especially in front of Kagome. If it hadn't have been for the scent of Ayame's approach, he would have taken Kouga down even before he had made the demand for death. But how was he going to convince Kagome that the wolf youkai was wrong? "We'd better hurry, or those two will wonder what's taking us so long. Yuuki, I need you to stay here with Kaede."

"Why? Did I do something wrong?"

Taking the supplies from Kaede, InuYasha said, "Kagome and I need to talk alone for a little bit."

Yuuki sighed, slightly bummed that she was being left behind. "Okay."

After leaving the hut, they made their way back to the clearing where the patient was waiting. Since Kouga was a full youkai, his injuries would heal faster, so they needn't hurry to return. They were silent during their progression, and it was honestly a little uncomfortable for the engaged couple. "He was wrong, you know."

Kagome looked at him with a small amount of confusion in her eyes. "Wrong about what?"

InuYasha kept his eyes ahead, but allowed himself to reveal a rare, gentle smile. "About why I'm with you." He suddenly halted, and she did likewise. Looking at her, his face was set in determination and love. "You stayed beside me, in spite of the pain I caused you. You gave me a reason to smile and laugh, no matter what the circumstance. You awakened me from the fifty-year death, then gave me a reason to live. I don't deserve your love, and you as sure as my next breath deserve better than me.

"But I love you more than I can tell you, Kagome—never forget that," he finished, his voice husky. With that, he leaned over, tilted her face up towards his, and briefly brushed his lips over hers. It was sweet and chaste, yet passionate and fiery at the same time. He would have liked to continue, but he held back, for her sake.

Kagome's lips tingled at the light touch, sending shockwaves through her soul. It left her longing for more. She already knew that he wasn't one for showing vulnerability around others, but to see him let down his guard around her…It was an honor that was hers and hers alone. When she looked up, she could see the honesty radiating in his eyes, and she smiled. "I love you too, InuYasha."

Holding hands, the couple made their way back to Kouga and Ayame.

=+IY+=

In the clearing, Ayame quietly sat beside Kouga as they waited for their friends to return. The silence between them was also becoming quite awkward.

"Why, Ayame?"

The female youkai looked at her companion, who kept his eyes fixed on the ground ahead of him. "'Why,' what?"

"You heard what the Mutt said, didn't ya? You're the one with the right to kill me for putting you through all this. So, why didn't you just do that?"

She turned her own attention to the grass at her feet, and shrugged. "I couldn't do it, Kouga. I mean, yeah, you made that promise to me, and I knew you lied about having forgotten about it. But I was just a kid back then, and we didn't have any witnesses to attest to it. That kinda makes it void, right?"

Kouga snorted. "I didn't ask you to make excuses about it, Ayame—I want to know why you decided to let me off the hook." For several seconds, she didn't reply. Just when he thought Ayame had forgotten his inquiry, she answered.

"Because a long time ago, before I went to train with Grandfather, I fell in love with someone who stopped the birds-of-paradise from taking my life. And even though he chose someone else, why wouldn't I want to save his life in return?" Looking him in the eyes, she continued, "I can't force you to love me, but I want to at least show you my love."

He didn't know what to say to her at the moment. He swiftly looked away, a blush rising on his face. When he finally found his voice, he said, "Will you teach me how to love you back?"

One minute, Ayame was staring in surprise at Kouga's request. The next, InuYasha and Kagome were entering the clearing, just in time to see the two wolf youkai in an impromptu make-out session. They only stopped when the hanyou firmly cleared his throat.

"It looks like you're feeling better, Kouga," Kagome quipped. "I think we'll just leave the supplies with you and Ayame, and head back to the village." After handing the items over, she and InuYasha retraced their path.

=+IY+=

Later that morning, a voice from outside her hut caught Sakura's attention. Curious, she lifted the mat from the doorframe to reveal her visitors. After greeting them, she allowed InuYasha and Kagome to enter. "Please, have a seat," she said. "To what do I owe this visit?"

The couple looked at each other for a second, trying to decide who should go first. InuYasha nodded, showing that he would be the one speaking. After quietly clearing his throat, he began.

"Sakura, we wanted to thank you for helping my sister last night."

The girl became concerned at the mention of her new friend. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's good now," he answered. "Kaede told us you heard a voice asking for help, and you got right to it."

"Well, it kind of threw me off, because I'd never heard it before. I wasn't about to disobey it, though."

Kagome joined in at that point. "We're all grateful to you, Sakura. Sango told us some things about you, also." She revealed the events that her friend had told them, leaving Sakura a little uncomfortable at this point. Then she finished by saying, "InuYasha, Kaede, and I talked things over, and we think it would be best if you became the official miko of the village."

Sakura was stunned for a few seconds. "Me? But aren't you the one taking over, Lady Kagome?"

"If we weren't getting married, she would," InuYasha stated proudly. Seeing their host's surprised facial expression, he continued. "But since we are, we made an arrangement with Kaede that we believe will work."

"You know what a miko does, right?" When the girl nodded, Kagome informed her of the plan they had come up with. Once she was finished, Kagome said, "There's a reason you experienced those things, Sakura—and we're certain that this is the reason." When both she and her fiancé saw Sakura deep in thought, she looked at him and nodded towards the door. As they both exited the hut, she smiled at the girl. "At least consider the possibility, okay?"


	15. Favors

In the halls of Sesshomaru's palace, an irate Jaken was pacing outside the now-occupied guest room. "What could have been so important in this room that I had to be locked out? I do not like the way my master is behaving, as of late. He is starting to take on the temperament of his lovesick, half-breed bro—" _POP!_ The sudden impact of a fan to the back of his head silenced his ranting. He fell facing the feet of Sesshomaru's honored guest.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kagura said, her voice laced with saccharine. "For all that croaking, I rather thought you were an overgrown frog."

Upon seeing his tormentor, holding both their weapons, Jaken ranted. "I knew it was you all along, Kagura! Why, when Master Sesshomaru returns from his business, he'll kick you out for certain after what you've done to me!"

"Jaken…" came his master's cool, stern voice.

"See?! He has already come to my rescue!"

"Jaken, be quiet and leave us," he commanded, causing the imp to shrink back in fear before retreating. He then turned to Kagura. "I trust his babble didn't disturb your rest too much?"

Shrugging, the lady of the wind smiled. "No more than usual, Lord Sesshomaru. I owe you a debt of gratitude for allowing me to recuperate in your house."

The great youkai came closer to Kagura, and although his face and voice never lost their severity, his eyes twinkled in rare merriment. "If you feel that this is a debt, then I will require payment."

"I see…so you do want something from me after all, just like everyone else," she answered sadly, having anticipated his response. "Very well, then—how do you seek that it be paid?"

For a minute, neither party said a word. There was only an intense gaze from him, and a downcast look from her.

"Stay with me?"

Astonished to hear a request and not a demand, she looked up at him.

"What did you say?"

=+IY+=

Back at Sakura's hut, the young girl sat staring into the fire pit. Kagome and InuYasha had long since left, and their request was still permeating in her thoughts. _Sure, it would be a great honor to follow in Lady Kaede's footsteps_, she thought, _but are they sure I'm the best candidate for the job?_ On the other hand, the hanyou and younger miko were planning to be wed. _After everything they went through, though, maybe going for it wouldn't be such a bad idea. I guess it could be my way of thanking them for all they did._

Getting up from her post, she left the hut and made her way to Kaede's, still deep in thought. The sun was drawing close to the horizon, and other villagers were wrapping up their daily activities with the guidance of the dimming light. She was only feet away from the door when the flap was raised, and Yuuki popped out of the hut.

"Oh, Sakura! You helped Lady Kaede and Kagome, right? I never did get to thank you for last night."

Sakura just laughed lightly. "That's okay, Yuuki—InuYasha-sama and Kagome came over earlier to thank me for you, so don't worry about it."

The hanyouess shook her head. "Well, I still wanted to thank you personally. Not everyone's willing to help someone who's different, so I really appreciate it."

"No problem, I was glad to help. Anyway, are Lady Kaede, Lady Kagome, and your brother around? I need to talk with them about something."

"Yeah, they're inside right now," her friend confirmed. "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just that they asked me if I'd help them with something, and I wanted to let them know what my decision is."

Yuuki nodded. "That's okay. Besides, I think I overheard them talking about you just a minute ago, so I think you're safe to go head inside," she answered, tilting her head to the door.

The human girl bowed before proceeding into the hut, where she found InuYasha and the two mikos sitting next to the fire pit. "Please forgive my intrusion, but I've come to give my decision," she started, feeling rather nervous when the trio turned to face her.


	16. Secret

Sorry it took me so long this time. I had a bunch of stuff crop up with school, and I really needed to buckle down, along with the typical writer's block (*sigh*=Yeah, it was a combo, this time). I can't promise this won't happen again, especially when I start classes again in January. But I will try to keep up as much as possible. In fact, I'd like to get some reader involvement. If you don't mind, send me a random line that you think one of the characters might say. I'll look into putting it into a future chapter, okay? Now, let's do this!

=+IY+=

"Kagome, are you sure it's a smart idea to marry that bonehead?" Shippo inquired, as they made their way to Miroku and Sango's hut. With Sakura's choice to train for the job of a miko, Kagome and InuYasha were now free to make plans for their wedding feast in a few months, though the actual ceremony would be the next evening at Kaede's. The sun was setting for the day, signaling Yuuki's impending night of weakness.

"Hey, I can still hear you, runt!" said the target of the jab.

"Shippo, don't talk like that about InuYasha," came the rebuke. "Besides, didn't the same thought cross your mind when it came to Sango and Miroku?"

"Yeah, I guess I get your point. But still, it's kind of hard to believe you'll be his wife."

Looking at the man in question, Kagome laughed. "I know, but I'm not complaining."

InuYasha blushed when he saw her watching him, and was tempted to reach over to pull her closer. Instead, he resisted by simply crossing his arms in his sleeves and kept looking straight ahead, his trademark smirk gracing his face. "Pfeh—you'd better not."

They heard a stumbling of feet behind them, as Yuuki struggled to maintain her balance. Finally, the young woman just sat on the ground, holding her head.

"Yuuki, what's wrong?" the kitsune inquired.

Her eyes were clenched shut, and she was shaking a little. "Dizzy. Head hurts. Sick."

"Why don't you go back to Kaede's?" Kagome suggested, as she knelt next to her friend. "You still haven't recovered from all that blood loss, and you seem to have overexerted yourself. Besides, you know what will happen when the sunlight's gone."

Yuuki didn't have the energy to move; she just whispered, "Yeah."

Seeing her state, InuYasha picked her up. "I'll take her, then head over as soon as I can." He watched his sister's face as she leaned into him. The pain he saw there hurt him also, especially when she whimpered very much like a puppy. He swore mentally. _This must be the first time she's ever dealt with this kind of pain on her human night._

"Okay, we'll see you in a bit," the young miko said, as he headed towards Kaede's hut. With a silent prayer for her soon to be sister-in-law, she followed Shippo the rest of the way to their friends' place.

Once at his destination, the man called to the elderly woman. "Hey, Kaede! I need your help with Yuuki!"

Seeing the girl in his arms, she ushered him in. "Lay her down on the futon yonder. What be wrong with ye, child?"

"Head hurts. I feel dizzy," came the whispered, agonized response. "Sick."

"Ah, I see. Stay still, while I ready some herbs for ye."

After a few minutes, Yuuki had taken the medicine and was asleep, though pain was still evident on her face. Once they were certain she was out cold, the hanyou and the miko talked quietly about the next evening's plans.

"I sent Myoga to talk to the old guy about it. Everything set in motion here?" he inquired.

"Aye. They are willing to help. Has she any knowledge of this?"

"Nah, I didn't want to ruin the surprise. I made sure Yuuki and Sakura kept her attention elsewhere—though, I shouldn't have brought Yuuki into this, with her feeling so bad and all."

"True," Kaede nodded. "But ye distracted her enough to get what ye needed accomplished. Now it's time for ye to return to her. Ye do not want her to become suspicious, eh?"

With a genuine grin, InuYasha shook his head. "No chance of that. But I ain't risking it." He waved to the woman, who had become like a grandmother to him, and headed for Miroku and Sango's hut.

=+IY+=

The wind sorceress could scarcely breathe after she heard Sesshomaru's request. "What did you say?" Kagura inquired.

Sesshomaru moved closer to his guest and, in yet another uncharacteristic move, brushed one hand gently over her face. "Stay with me, Kagura."

For a moment there was silence between them.

"Why?"

"I would think the reasons would be obvious," the daiyoukai replied. "I needn't tell you that you would be in danger once again, were Mamushi to learn that you live again. And also…" he trailed off.

Kagura watched as Sesshomaru leaned towards her, his thumb gently brushing her lips, before capturing them with his own for a moment. When he pulled back, her eyes were closed from the sensation. And when she opened them again, his were solemn once more.

"When I saw you in the field where you died, I desired to heal you. However, the Tenseiga did not resound as it should. I could not understand how that was possible, unless you had already been brought back from the dead once."

The woman contemplated what she was hearing, before she remembered what happened.

"As part of his plan to destroy InuYasha, Naraku took my heart from me. As long as I was, for all intents and purposes, dead, he could control me. The day we parted was the day he returned it to me. Unfortunately, it had been bathed in miasma. That alone would have killed me had he not also stabbed me with one of his tentacles."

Sesshomaru caught the implication. "In other words, you had already been revived once before?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."


	17. Visitor at the Well

"Great dinner as always, Sango, love," a certain monk sighed in contentment, leaning against the wall with a full stomach.

"Stop flattering me, Miroku," the former slayer stated. "You're not getting off the hook so easily."

Shippo, who was sitting with the twins, slurped some stew before speaking. "Let me guess—he's trying to get out of childcare duties?"

"No no no! I'm not doing anything of the sort!"

"What's going on, then?" Kagome asked, not buying Miroku's innocent act.

InuYasha entered the hut, having caught some of the conversation. "He agreed to help me with something, and now it sounds like he's copping out." He sat down beside Kagome, close enough that she could lean on him, which she took advantage of. Sango handed him a bowl of stew. "Thanks."

"You know, Miroku's kinda like Myoga in reverse, huh?" Shippo commented.

The hanyou stopped eating long enough to let out a short laugh. "Yeah, no kidding. In battle and with Sango and the three squirts, he's all in. But ask him a favor that doesn't involve hijacking a storehouse, and you're in trouble."

The aforementioned monk looked offended. "Hey, I'll have you know that I set aside most of what you wouldn't take just in case a certain someone returned!"

"Sounds a lot like him, too." The young kitsune shook his head in amusement, earning him a round of laughter.

"How's Yuuki holding up?"

InuYasha returned the rapidly emptied bowl back to Sango before responding. "Her human side took over just before we entered Kaede's. The old woman confirmed what you said about Yuuki overexerting herself, then gave her some herbs. She's conked out right now, though she's still dealing with the headache."

"Poor girl," Sango sighed. "I sure hope she feels better tomorrow."

"She's in Lady Kaede's capable hands, so she's certain to recuperate quickly," her husband assured the group.

"Still, after going through all that yesterday, she should have been resting," Shippo pointed out.

"It's not really Yuuki's fault," the hanyou frowned. "I asked her to help me out with a project, and she did it without complaint. So I thought she was fine, until she stumbled on the way here." He looked at the floor, unfocused. "I should have paid attention."

Kagome's smaller hand came to rest on his knee. "You got her back to Kaede's safely, InuYasha. That's what matters; and it says a lot about you."

The man placed his clawed palm on top of hers' and brushed it with his thumb. "Maybe. Thanks, Kagome."

After Sango laid the three children down to sleep, the group continued their conversation in whispers.

"You know, one thing I missed most in my former time is just remembering what all we've been through as a group," Kagome said.

Her fiancé smiled as he drew her closer. "Yeah, I know. Like the time Chokyukai tried to court 'Miss Shippo' and realized he'd been had."

"Heheh—or how about the time InuYasha got drunk with the sake the master of potions dunked him in?" Shippo jested.

"'Shoh, Khahgomeh, whooooss yer friend? I'm nah shrung, I tell yeh! *Hick!* How come thers three off yoo nahaw?'" The hanyou recounted, his memory surprisingly having suffered no loss. It was such a perfect imitation, the others started laughing with him.

Shippo yawned, bringing them out of their merriment.

"I'm gonna head on over to Kaede's. I'll be heading back to Kitsune Inn in a couple days, so I'm gonna enjoy having soft bedding while I can," the little fox stated. "Let me tell you, those bunk beds really make regular futons seem like royal mattresses."

Kagome nodded, standing up. "It's about time I did, too. I'll be busy cramming a whole lot of activity into the day before the big event."

"Same here," InuYasha agreed. "I'll walk with you. I want to check up on Yuuki before I go patrolling."

Once their farewells were exchanged, the trio exited the hut. InuYasha left last, giving Sango and Miroku a nod, which they returned. _Let's hope this goes off without a hitch._ Catching up with the other two, he entwined one hand with Kagome's, while Shippo fought sleep on one of her shoulders.

"InuYasha?"

He glanced at Kagome for a second. "What's up?"

"I forgot to ask where we'll be staying until our house is built."

A confident smile graced his lips. "Don't worry about it—I've got it covered. I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't have anything set up, right? That wouldn't make sense."

Kagome leaned against him. "Yeah, you're right. It's just that Kaede brought it up after you went to talk with Miroku this afternoon. Speaking of which, what is it you wanted Miroku to help you with?"

"Oh, just a surprise I cooked up for you," InuYasha said, shrugging it off. "You'll find out tomorrow, Kagome—I promise."

"I'll trust you to it, then." They entered Kaede's hut silently, so as to not disturb Yuuki's rest. Shippo got off Kagome's shoulder and made his way towards his futon, slightly off balance due to his drowsiness. To their surprise, Kaede was asleep, as well.

"You better take a hint from those three, Kagome. Especially with the sleep you didn't get last night," InuYasha whispered sweetly.

As if on cue, the young miko yawned widely. "Yeah, you're right, InuYasha. And it looks like Yuuki's okay now. At least, she doesn't look like she's hurting anymore."

"Could be just the herbs ol' Kaede gave her, though." He turned her around to face him, and brushed his lips across hers'. "I'll see you tomorrow, Koi."

"Goodnight, InuYasha—I love you," she answered.

"And I, you." His eyes stayed upon her until he exited the hut.

It was minutes later, in the dark of the room, that Kagome's eyes shot open.

_He called me "Love"…Wow!_

With tears of joy overflowing, she went to sleep at last.

After leaving Kagome at Kaede's, InuYasha walked towards the Sacred Tree's clearing. His goal, however, was beyond it. Only a few in the village knew of it, and he'd rarely ever used the object. He couldn't wait to show Kagome. Taking a deep breath, he couldn't help but be proud of his work.

Suddenly, he looked backwards to the path he had come from. _What's that scent? I think it's coming from the well. But it _couldn't_ be working again…could it?_

He dashed back towards the Bone-Eater's Well, where a woman in a miko's armor awaited him. She had long black hair, eyes that were a piercing grey, and carried a long sword. She raised the sword in salute, though InuYasha didn't understand. He drew Tetsusaiga, thinking that it was a challenge. All the while, the woman looked glad and solemn at the same time.

"I am honored to greet thee, young lord of the West, true prince of Setsuna," she firmly stated.

"Who are you," his voice demanded.

She laughed lightly. "Peace, young lord. I go by Midoriko, the maker of the Shikon no Tama, and guardian of this Well before us."

"What?" came the astonished whisper.

=+IY+=

Hi, everyone—how are you? Please review, and if you think of one, please send me a random line (funny, serious, or in between) that you'd like to read/hear one of the characters say. Okay? I'll get started on the next chapter right away. Hugs, everyone!


	18. Remember Your Love, Make Your Decision

I'm going to place somewhat of a flashback in this chapter. I've read stories where InuYasha and Sesshomaru's father is called either Touga or InuTaisho. But it's a teensy bit confusing for me to call him by either Touga (because of Sounga the sword in movie #3—slightly disconcerting to have a name sounding like a psycho sword) or InuTaisho (his name wasn't mentioned, but his rank in the Inu clan was). So I took the liberty and, after looking around online, came up with Ken'ō (roughly translated, "Sword King"). Please read and review, and if necessary, constructive criticism is also welcome. Let's start this party!

=+IY+=

Meanwhile, 500 years into the future, Mrs. Higurashi had just finished cleaning up in the kitchen. Almost automatically, her eyes went to one of the cupboard doors. Therein was still a mass of ramen that her son-in-law, as she assumed he would be by now, loved so much. The woman smiled sadly, wondering if they were making each other happy. It was almost a month since Kagome had left to be with InuYasha, at least that's what it would seem like on their side of time. Things had grown silent with her eldest out of the house. Sighing, she left the kitchen and walked upstairs and knocked on Souta's door. "Souta, can I come in?"

Above the clicking of a game controller, she heard, "Yeah, Mom, go ahead."

She opened the door and entered, closing it quietly behind her. "You've seemed a bit distant lately. Would you like to talk?" She asked, walking towards him.

"Nah, I'm fine. Just got a lot of stuff on my mind, right now."

She didn't miss the sad face he made briefly when he said that. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

The woman sighed. "Alright, then, I won't press you on it. But you know that I'm here for you if you need me." She made her way back to the door, preparing to leave.

"I miss 'em, Mom."

She stopped, and turned back around to face her son.

"A couple of my friends asked me about Sis after she left, and I didn't really know what to say. And I keep thinking of 'em. I miss Kagome, even though I know she belongs in the Feudal Era now. I miss her laughter, her smile, even the times she'd pick on me. I miss hearing her and Gramps arguing. I miss how she and InuYasha would bicker, as if they were trying to admit how they felt without actually saying it. And I miss Big Brother Inu. Did you know he finally started beating me at Kung Fu Royale? Or that he was going to use one of his adamant shard things to buy Kagome a replacement bike after he broke it that one time?"

He started to tear up at the memories. "What about when he helped me confess my feelings to Hitomi? He'd always tell me to man up, to go after what I wanted. Heh—it's funny, he'd always say that, yet he'd freeze up himself." He turned to look at his mother, grief etched in his face. "Why didn't she tell Gramps and I goodbye, too, Mom? And why didn't I get to tell him goodbye?" When she touched his shoulder, Souta launched himself into his mother's arms, tears streaming from his face. "I miss Big Brother Inu, and Big Sis. I wish I could see 'em again, even if it's only one time."

"Get a hold of yourself, Squirt! Men don't cry around other people!"

Souta sniffled. "Yeah, he'd say that, too." Then he realized that his mother's voice was suddenly, strangely masculine. Surprised, he looked up at her. "Huh? Mom, what happened?" He saw her, beaming at something behind herself, and peeked over her shoulder. Because, there in the doorway—

"Long time, no see, Souta—we've missed you guys, too!" There was a rare, genuine twinkle of merriment in InuYasha's eyes.

"Big Brother Inu!" The boy exclaimed as he rushed towards his favorite hero. "But…what…how…huh?" This brought on a laugh from the hanyou, and Gramps from his room out of curiosity.

Mrs. Higurashi followed. "I must admit, I'm a bit surprised, too. But it's good to see you again, InuYasha."

"It's great to see everyone again," InuYasha answered, accepting the hugs that came his way. That's when he felt a strip of paper being slapped on his back. He laughed again when he saw the old man. "Even if they _are_ a little crazy."

"What? It still doesn't work?!" Gramps asked, incredulous.

"Well, I never told Kagome this, but those ofudas of yours' do have some power in them," he stated with a shrug. "I guess it doesn't work on me very well because I'm not full youkai, so I didn't bother her about it."

"Oh," the elderly man sighed, rather disappointed.

"Where _is_ Sis, anyway?" Souta asked. "Is she here?"

InuYasha shook his head. "Kagome's on the other side of the well resting up. She didn't sleep at all last night, and we're getting married tomorrow evening, so she went to bed early."

"That's strange," the woman pondered. "I thought for sure you two would have tied the knot by now. What happened?"

"Tied the knot?"

"Oh, I forgot you aren't from this time, dear. It means I thought the two of you would have already married."

"Well, in my time, a miko can't work at the temple if she's married," he explained, "and we've been looking for a way around that. It turns out one of the village girls has miko powers, too, though. So Kaede came up with a compromise. Kagome's gonna train the girl, Sakura, with everything outside the temple, and Kaede will help her with the inside work. But that wasn't why I came here."

=+IY+=

Meanwhile, Kagome was deep in dream land…or was it nightmare? All she knew was it seemed like she was watching someone's memories.

_Ken'ō__ was looking over his beloved's body, and noticed a lump in the covers moving. He heard a scared, hungry cry coming from it. He could tell by the octaves the infant emitted that he had another son. A strong son. His eyes roamed quickly over the scene before him, as if expecting another child to have been nearby. It then dawned on him that the second seal still held fast, though barely, as the young mother's body was cooling rapidly._

InuYasha…your dad really did love you and your mother. Wait! A seal?_ Kagome thought in the dream._ What's going on?

_Grasping Tenseiga, Ken'ō held it over Izayoi's body, and slashed. The underworld's carriers were ripped apart by its' blade, and the princess breathed once more. Kagome watched as one of the guards ran into the now burning palace, and the memory continued through the end of the fight, which went on despite the fire that raged. Finally, Ken'ō alone remained standing, though the walls were beginning to collapse around them._

"_Young maiden."_

_Kagome was startled, as the youkai lord's back was still turned towards her. And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was the one being spoken to. That was when he faced her. There was no doubt in her mind now that she was his audience. It took her mere seconds to take in his visage. She could see where her beloved got his build, eyes, and body._

"_Young maiden."_

_Kagome forced herself back to the present, though she could hear a little bit of InuYasha in the youkai's voice. She was slightly frightened, due to how stern he sounded. "Yes?" she replied, with a slight tremor in her words._

"_Do you love my son?"_

_She was taken aback by the question, but for some reason knew she shouldn't. "Yes, I do—with everything in me."_

_Suddenly, both of them had been transferred to outside the complex at the overlook, where Izayoi stood. The infant InuYasha, however, was nowhere to be seen._

"_Young princess." Izayoi started._

"_I'm sorry, Izayoi-sama, but I'm not a princess!" Kagome responded._

_The princess before her smiled, shaking her head. "But your beloved one is a prince, being my son, right? Does that not make you a princess, once you wed him?"_

_The thought had not occurred to the miko, but once realization hit, she blushed a little bit. "I guess I am, then…"_

"_You say you love our son, do you not?"_

_Kagome looked at the pair solemnly. "With all my being."_

_Satisfied, Izayoi asked, "Do you _trust_ him, though?"_

_The younger of the women smiled. "Absolutely." She then frowned a little. "But not everyone we've come across does."_

"_But _your_ trust matters more to him than that of other people. And there is one way to show him that." The princess reached into one of her sleeves and extracted something. Holding it in her palms for Kagome to see, she said, "Free him of the binds he is held by."_

_It was the Subjugation beads, still intact and glowing with the spell that she knew she had abused in the past. _I want to do it, _Kagome thought, _but what if he turns full demon and hurts people? Or what if he can't get out of danger fast enough, like what almost happened last night?

_Ken'ō answered, as if he had heard her thoughts. "The beads will remain, but they will only be usable if he is unable to escape an enemy. It will work in conjunction with Tetsusaiga and its' sheath to create strong barrier and attack system against his foe, not unlike Backlash Wave, only stronger, as it is used only for defense. It is called the Barrier Backlash. But it cannot become, until your power of command is relinquished."_

"_But people will still be scared of him, my lord!" she stated._

"_True, yet word has spread that a maiden can stop him with a simple word, and their fears are somewhat dispelled. It will be many hundreds of years before they question anything. So we ask you again: Do you trust our son, enough to do this for him?"_

_For a second, Kagome hesitated. Then she made her choice. Taking the beads from Izayoi, she pulled and yanked. Yet, no matter what she did, the necklace wouldn't break. Just when she was beginning to lose hope, a clawed hand, different from Ken'ō's, held her hands still. Slowly, she looked up into the newcomer's face. InuYasha was in front of her, smiling gently. His eyes were filled with admiration and reflected her own determination. Taking one of her hands in each of his, fingers still gripping the beads, they simultaneously pulled the necklace in two different directions. The string holding it together held for a few seconds. But the strain became so great on it that it started fraying, and finally, it broke! The beads fell towards the ground and dissipated, along with the string, just as if it had never been there to begin with._

"_Well chosen, daughter," Ken'ō said with a smile, not unlike his younger son's. "Now, draw nearer to each other."_

_InuYasha, still holding her hands, moved closer to her, standing face to face with her. She, likewise, moved closer to him. Then, the dainty hands of the princess covered theirs, which were followed by the youkai lord's own._

"_Young ones," Izayoi began, "this is our blessing for you. Care for one another, cherish each other, let none…_none_…come between you. Swear on our graves, young ones."_

"_I promise," came the answer in unison from InuYasha and Kagome._

"_Then live in peace, and do not fear others," Ken'ō concluded._

As they leaned in to kiss, the dream suddenly ended.

=+IY+=

Back with Kagome's family, her mother was gathering sacks full of ramen from out of the cabinet. InuYasha sat at the kitchen table, slurping a bowl of it already, while Souta and Gramps were scurrying about upstairs.

Looking at the hanyou, Mrs. Higurashi gave a light laugh. "You've really missed having ramen, haven't you?"

"Yeah," he answered, still eating. "The stuff in the Feudal Era is pretty much for the upper class, and even then there's only one flavor, at least what I know of it." The bowl was empty now, so he took it to the sink to clean. That's when he felt a pulse coming from the Subjugation beads! There was a light emitting from it for a second, then it disappeared. Taken by surprise, he thought, _What just happened here?"_


End file.
